Holdrege, Neb. – Ogallala had to change their travel plans after their one-act play earned a trip to state. They didn’t need the homecourt advantage to take down the Dusters, however. The Indians won 53-47 in the girls game and 73-46 in the boys game. Both matchups started off with a Duster lead, and both games saw Ogallala take charge midway through the second quarter.
The girls game began with a 13-11 Duster lead through the first quarter. Senior Avery Hurlbert was able to get to the free throw line three times in her effort to takeover offensively. Things settled down for Ogallala after that, and Holdrege’s early second quarter lead fell to just one point by halftime.
The Indians changed their emphasis and forced the ball down low to their six-foot sophomore Laney Caskey. She exploded with several opportunities over the shorter Duster post players. Senior Marlee Ervin was also instrumental in the Ogallala victory. The “other” six-footer on the team led with 14 points.
Holdrege fell to 1-2 despite a tough effort late in the fourth quarter. The Dusters were led in scoring by Hurlbert with 20 points. Keeley Vaughn hit four shots from behind the arc to finish with 13.
Click HERE to listen to the girls game.
The Duster boys suffered the same fate as their female counterparts. They took an early lead over Ogallala finishing the first quarter with a 12-6 advantage. The Indians stole the script from the first game and outscored Holdrege 28-8 in the second quarter.
After taking a 34-20 halftime lead, Ogallala wasn’t yet done making a statement. The quick and aggressive duo of sophomore Sawyer Smith and senior Caden Rezac had taken over, and Ogallala stretched their lead to 29 after outpacing Holdrege 27-12 in the third. Rezac and Smith had 23 points each to lead the Indians.
Holdrege fought hard, but just couldn’t overcome the offensive juggernaut that Ogallala has become known to be. The Dusters were led by junior Garret Johnson with 13 points despite the Indians never letting him find an opening. Junior Wyatt Pfeifer and sophomore Baron Medina found some open shots from three-point land. Medina finished with nine points and Pfeifer had seven. The Dusters fell to 2-1.
Click HERE to listen to the boys game.
Holdrege hits the road on Tuesday, December 12, when they face Sandy Creek. The girls will play at 5:30, and the boys will follow. KUVR’s coverage will begin at 5:15.
