GERING - Both Sidney basketball teams punched their tickets to the Western Conference Tournament semifinals Thursday with convincing quarterfinal wins at Gering High School.
The Sidney Lady Raiders continued their defensive dominance over Alliance, holding the Lady Bulldogs to single-digit scoring in every quarter on the way to a 58-23 win.
It marked the second meeting between the teams this season, with Sidney also claiming a 52-29 victory at home on December 22.
The game started slowly, with Sidney holding a slim 6-1 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Lady Raiders found their rhythm late in the period. Sidney scored nine points over the final two minutes to build a 15-3 advantage, then took a 19-7 lead into the second quarter behind seven first-quarter points apiece from Laramey Misegadis and Jordan Schnell.
Sidney stretched the lead to 30-9 by halftime and put the game out of reach in the third quarter, knocking down four three-pointers to surge ahead 46-14 entering the final period. The Lady Raiders cruised the rest of the way to the 35-point victory.
Misegadis led Sidney with 13 points, while Schnell added 10. Freshman Reese Armstrong paced Alliance with eight points.
With the win, Sidney improves to 12-3 on the season, while Alliance falls to 4-14.
The Lady Raiders advance to Friday’s semifinal, where they will face Scottsbluff (9-7) at 6:30 p.m. at Western Nebraska Community College. Scottsbluff earned its semifinal spot with a 57-34 win over North Platte.
The Sidney Red Raiders, who picked up their first win of the season over Alliance right before the Christmas break 62-48, defeated the Bulldogs again in the tournament opener 64-46.
After an early Alliance advantage, Alek Doty caught fire, hitting five three-pointers and scoring 17 first-quarter points to swing momentum firmly in Sidney’s favor.
Sidney’s defense took over in the second quarter, holding Alliance to just three points. Kale Kaiser scored eight of his 16 points in the period as the Red Raiders built a commanding 37-19 halftime lead.
Sidney continued to pull away in the third quarter, extending the margin to 52-27 before cruising to the win.
Doty led all scorers with 28 points and set a new Sidney single-game record with eight three-pointers. Kale Kaiser finished with 16 points as the Red Raiders improve to 5-11 on the season, while Alliance drops to 7-9.
Sidney will face Scottsbluff (12-3) in Friday’s semifinal at Western Nebraska Community College at 2:00 p.m. The Bearcats advanced with a 76-14 win over Ascent Classical Academy.
Both Sidney semifinal games will be broadcast live on 1340 AM/95.7 FM, online at thebigboy987.com, and on the News Channel Nebraska app.