YORK – The Crossroads Conference basketball tournament concluded quarterfinal matchups in the York City Auditorium Tuesday. The top seeds BDS girls and Osceola boys, and the two defending champions Cross County Cougars girls and boys teams moved on in the quarterfinals on Monday. They will face the winners of Tuesday’s matchups in the CRC Semifinals, set for Thursday night in the City Auditorium.
The top seed BDS girls basketball team, who beat Nebraska Lutheran in the quarterfinals, will face the No. 4 seed Meridian Mustangs who beat High Plains 52-22 on Tuesday. The three-time defending CRC champions No. 2 seed Cross County goes up against the No. 3 McCool Junction. Cross County beat Hampton on Monday in the quartefinals 49-22, and McCool Junction edged Osceola 33-30. The BDS-Meridian game tips at 3p.m. on Thursday. Cross County and McCool Junction starts at 6p.m.
In the boys’ bracket, top-seed Osceola took care of Shelby Rising-City in its’ Monday quarterfinal 64-38. The move to the semis to face No. 5 BDS who beat No. 4 McCool Junction in a thriller 31-30. The other semifinal pits the defending CRC boys champs No. 2 Cross County. The Cougars advanced after beating Hampton 49-22 on Monday. Back in the semifinals, this time Cross County will face No. 3 Nebraska Lutheran who moved on after a steady 54-32 win on Tuesday. The BDS-Osceola semifinal starts at 4:30 on Saturday. Cross County and Nebraska Lutheran tips at 7:30 in the York City Auditorium.
All semifinal matchups of the Crossroads Conference Basketball Tournament will be broadcasted live on KOOL Radio 103.5 FM, 1370 AM and 95.9 FM. A video broadcast of the games are available on Striv TV.
More from Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchups:
Girls Bracket: No. 3 Meridian 52, No. 5 High Plains 22.
In the first girls quarterfinal on Tuesday, the Meridian Mustangs (13-4) beat the High Plains Storm (9-6) 52-22. Jaylee Sobotka and Jaala Stewart scored 11 points for the Mustangs. Peyton Hofmann paced the Storm with 7 points. Meridian used strong defense to limit the Storm to less than 10 points in each quarter. Meridian with the win moves on to play top-seed BDS in Thursday’s CRC semifinals.
Boys Bracket: No. 5 BDS 31, No. 4 McCool Junction 30
BDS didn’t lead this game for long, but a backcut for Jaron Norder that left him open near the basket with 14 seconds left scored the winning shot, and the Eagles (11-7) beat McCool Junction 31-30 (10-6). The Mustangs led 11-7 after the first quarter, and had the lead 15-9 at halftime as both teams’ lock-down defense dictated the game. BDS came back to tie the game in the second half, but McCool Junction held on to a short lead late in the fourth quarter. After Norder’s shot went in with 14 seconds, the Mustangs had two chances at the end but couldn’t get a shot to fall. BDS was led by Cameron Hoines who finished with 12 points. Tanner Bolte added 7 for the Eagles. McCool Junction’s Carson McDonald paced the team with 13 points. BDS with the win moves on to take on Osceola on Thursday.
Girls Bracket: No. 3 McCool Junction 33, No. 6 Osceola 30
The McCool Mustang girls basketball team held off a determined effort by the underdog Osceola Bulldogs, and came away with a 33-30 win in quarterfinal action. McCool had just defeated Osceola 50-32 last Friday, but were ice-cold from the floor Tuesday evening, and the Bulldogs took advantage, keeping the game close throughout. McKenna Yates led the Mustangs with a game-high 20 points, and Briann Stutzman finished with nine. Emma Recker led Osceola with 15 points. With the victory, McCool advances to Thursday’s 6 pm semifinal against Cross County.
Boys Bracket: No. 3 Nebraska Lutheran 54, No. 5 Exeter-Milligan 32
After a tight first quarter, the Nebraska Lutheran boys basketball team turned on their offense and defense, dominating the rest of the way, cruising to a 54-32 win over Exeter Milligan at the York City Auditorium. The Timberwolves led 19-14 after a quarter, but were outscored 36-10 through the 2nd and 3rd periods by the Knights. With the win, Nebraska Lutheran moves into a 7:30 pm Thursday semifinal clash with CRC tournament defending champion Cross County. Trey Richert led all scorers with 17 points for the Knights, while Draven Payne had 11 points for Exeter-Milligan.
