YORK – The annual Crossroads Conference basketball tournament wraps up Friday at the York City Auditorium, and the matchups on tap are certainly something to buzz about.
Girls Final – #1 Cross County vs. #2 McCool Junction
The girls final beginning at 6:30 PM on Max Country and Striv TV, will pit the top-two seeds. Defending champions and the two-seed McCool Junction Mustangs (11-3 take on the top-seed Cross County Cougars (16-1). McCool Junction on-court leaders is McKenna Yates who averages 18.9 points per game. Yates scored 19 in the Mustangs semifinal win over Dorchester on Tuesday. Briann Stuztman averages 9.2 points per game. McCool Junction is led by head coach Alyssa VanWesten.
Winning three straight titles from 2020 to 2022, the Cross County Cougars head in looking for it’s fourth CRC title in five years. Mitch Bosart’s team took down High Plains in big fashion 51-17 on Tuesday in the semifinals. Cross County senior Shyanne Anderson averages 13.7 points per game to lead the Cougars. Another senior Lilly Peterson averages 8.5 points per game.
Cross County beat McCool Junction in the regular season matchup on November 30, 57-47. Anderson scored 16 points to lead Cross County. Yates had 22 for McCool Junction.
Boys Final – #2 Osceola vs. #4 Cross County
The trilogy is on. For the third straight year, the Cross County Cougars (14-3) and the Osceola Bulldogs (11-4) face off in the boys CRC championship game. In the 2022 title bout, the Cougars escaped the Bulldogs 54-50 in an overtime thriller to win it’s third title. Last season’s final was a four-quarter battle with Osceola taking the 55-47 win. It all leads to a highly anticipated 2024 edition which tips around 8:30 following the girls game.
On Thursday night, Osceola beat Nebraska Lutheran 54-42. Kale Gustafson, who averages north of 25 points per game, led with 14 points. Brayden Santos hit four three-pointers to finish with 12. Osceola is coached by Jason Zelasney who has led the Bulldogs to CRC titles in 2021 and 2023.
Cross County fended off the top-seed McCool Junction Mustangs on Thursday 47-40 to make its fifth CRC championship game in eight years. Ashton Seim’s 19 points led the way, and Alex Noyd put up 9. The Cougars are led by head coach Jimmy Blex.
The two teams matched up earlier this season on January 2nd, with Cross County holding on to a 57-48 win. Langdon Arbuck led Cross County with 17 points. Osceola’s Gustafson put up 33 points to lead the Bulldogs.
Consolation matches
3pm – Girls 3rd Place Match – High Plains vs. Dorchester
High Plains fell to Cross County in the semifinals, and Dorchester lost to McCool Junction. Tipoff for the 3rd place game at the Audiitorium is scheduled to 3pm. That game can be heard on KOOL Radio.
4:30 – Boys 3rd Place Match – McCool Junction vs. Nebraska Lutheran
The #1 seed McCool Junction faces the Knights of Nebraska Lutheran for the CRC Boys third place game. That tipoff will follow the girls 3rd place game, and lead in to the girls championship game at 6:30.
