Holdrege, Neb. – It was a tough night for the Dusters as Sidney came to Holdrege boasting undefeated records for the girls and boys teams. The Holdrege girls began the doubleheader against the sharpshooting Red Raiders and fell 58-36.
As usual, coach Derek Runcie’s squad came out working hard and had plenty of opportunities to keep pace. Shooting was tough, however, and Holdrege had trouble finding the inside of the net. They were held to just 13 first half points with only two Dusters able to score. Senior Avery Hurlbert had seven points at the halfway point, and sophomore Addy Stutzman added six of her own.
The second half went better offensively for Holdrege, but the fast-paced play of Sidney never relented. By the time Holdrege was able to find their groove from behind the arc, the Red Raiders had already taken control of the game. Holdrege finished with seven players who were able to score. Hurlbert had 13, while Stutzman and junior Amelia Ptacnik finished with six points each.
Sidney was led by junior Kayla Westby with 13 points. Several other Raiders were able to score as well, including three more who managed to reach double digits. Seniors Karsyn Leeling and Payton Schrotberger joined junior Jordan DeNovellis with 10 points each.
The Dusters fell to 4-4, and Sidney improved to 8-0 on the season. Holdrege will be back after the Christmas break when they travel to Lincoln Lutheran on Friday, December 29, for their annual holiday tournament. Holdrege opens up at 1 pm against Platteview.
Unfortunately for Duster fans, the second game of the night wasn’t much different. The Holdrege boys fell 56-36 after Sidney caught fire from long range. The Red Raider defense also proved to be too much for the Dusters to overcome making things miserable for the Holdrege shooters.
Junior Garret Johnson was still able to put up 13 points despite Sidney senior Isak Doty tightly guarding him all night. Shooting woes kept Holdrege from being able to close the gap after a strong start in the second half. Holdrege was able to get back to within three after a 31-19 halftime defecit. Doty’s seven makes from downtown put the Red Raiders back in control. Holdrege was led by Johnson’s 13 points followed by senior Coy Swanson with eight.
Sidney’s Isak Doty finished with 23 points, and sophomore Keian Kaiser added 12. The Raiders improved to 8-0.
Holdrege fell to 3-5 on the year and will also head to Lincoln Lutheran on Friday, December 29. Their game will start immediately after the Duster girls play. The boys will also face Platteview. KUVR’s coverage of the Dusters will begin with pregame at 12:45 pm.
