McCook teams both finish 3rd at Lexington freshman tourney

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette Sean Backer (21) of McCook dribbles against an unidentified Kearney Catholic defender at the Lexington Freshman Basketball Tournament Saturday, Jan. 16. Both Bison boys and girls freshman teams placed third in their respective divisions.

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The Bison freshmen were grounded last Saturday in the Lexington Invitational tournament. McCook lost for the first time this season in a 42-38 setback to Hastings St. Cecilia in first-round tournament action Saturday, Jan. 16. The McCook boys bounced back later in the day and beat Kearney Catholic 41-36 to claim third place.

The Bison freshman girls opened their part of the Lexington tournament with a 28-20 loss to Hastings St. Cecilia. McCook came back to win third place with an easy 42-12 win over Lexington.

Boys have slow start

The usually potent Bison freshmen boys struggled offensively against St. Cecilia.

"We started a little tentative on offense -- our cuts were slow and ball movement was slow," said McCook freshman coach Rod Gaston. "We also had some good shots rim out and not fall."

St. Cecilia outscored McCook 13-6 in the second quarter to help the Hawks take a 22-14 lead. The Bison came back in the third period with a 15-6 advantage to take a 29-28 lead.

"The boys really picked up their tempo and played a great third quarter," Coach Gaston said. "We were down by 11 points at one time in the second quarter and came back to take the lead."

The teams traded baskets in the final quarter, according to Coach Gaston, and neither team could put an offensive run together. St. Cecilia won the game at the charity stripe as the Hawks converted 5 of 9 free throws in the final period, while McCook did try a free throw in the last eight minutes.

Matt Collicott scored 11 points, with Cody Wudtke and Sean Backer scoring 10 points each to lead the Bison freshmen. Collicott led with 5 rebounds, and Wudtke had 4 steals.

Slow start again

In the third-place final, McCook struggled again early against Kearney Catholic. The Bison led 20-18 at halftime, and fell behind 29-28 after three periods before rallying in the final quarter.

"We had another slow start offensively, but we were getting the job done defensively," Gaston said.

The McCook coach said his team may have been worn down with back-to-back games Saturday while playing full-court pressure defense and running offensively in both games.

Collicott tallied 17 points and Luke Post added 10 to pace McCook in the third-place contest. Six Bison had at least 5 rebounds, led by Collicott with 7. Jake Schlager recorded 3 steals, while Austin Cherry and Zayne Gillen had 4 assists each.

The McCook freshmen boys may have been worn down a bit Saturday, as they were playing for the third time in five days.

Romp in Ogallala

The Bison ran to a 59-19 win at Ogallala Thursday, Jan. 14. McCook bolted to a 23-7 lead after one quarter, then outscored Ogallala 22-0 in third period to pull away.

Matt Collicott led the locals with 14 points, as 14 players got in the scoring column. Josh Escher led with 5 rebounds and Austin Cherry dished 4 assists.

"We had a great start to the game," Coach Gaston said. "We were able to play everybody a lot in this game. Only two players shot more than for times to show our balance."

Victory at Colby, Kan.

In action Tuesday, Jan. 12, at Colby, Kan., the Bison freshman boys beat the Colby C team 59-33. The Colby team had freshman, sophomore and junior players.

"At times we moved the ball very well against their zone defense," Coach Gaston said. "We like to push the action a lot, and sometimes we shoot too quickly. We still need to learn to be patient but still move quickly."

McCook led 28-9 at halftime.

Collcott had 12 points and Sean Backer 8 to pace McCook. Austin Cherry grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds. Jake Schlager and Cody Wudtke had 4 steals each.

Girls division

McCook High School's freshman girls basketball team also finished third at the Lexington Invitational.

The Bison freshman girls opened the tournament with a 28-20 loss to Hastings St. Cecilia. McCook trailed 8-5 after one quarter, but the Bison rallied to tie the score at 12-12 at halftime. St. Cecilia outscored McCook 9-2 in the third quarter to help put the game out of reach.

"For the third game in a row, our offense has struggled to perform against a strong man-to-man pressure," McCook freshman coach Jon Graff said. "We have to improve our offense if we are to move forward.

"The girls played hard all game. St. Cecilia had a nice team, and we gave them a good game."

McCook was led by Kassidy Gillen with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Brooklynn Trew added 6, points and Rachel Goltl 5. Madison Chitwood also grabbed 3 rebounds.

In the third-place final, McCook found some offense in a 42-12 win over Lexington.

"The girls performed well against Lexington, playing good defense and doing a better job on offense," Coach Graff said.

Rachel Goltl topped the Bison girls with 13 points. Brooklyn True added 12 points and Riley Allen chipped in 5 points. Nicole Helm had 4 rebounds.

Close loss at Ogallala

The McCook freshman girls dropped a close 32-30 decision at Ogallala Thursday, Jan. 14.

Coach Graff said his team and Ogallala went back and forth in a very physical game.

"I was proud of how the girls played throughout the game, but Ogallala was able to push us around on inbounds plays and rebounds," Graff said. "Despite this, we had the ball, down by one point, with 20 seconds to go, so we had our shot."

Rachel Goltl topped the Bison girls with 6 points. Megan Ruppert and Marissa Esch added 5 points each, and Kassidy Gillen and Madison Chitwood added 4 apiece. Gillen led with 8 rebounds and Chitwood had 6 boards.

"I've been proud how the girls have stepped up their intensity down the stretch of the last two games," Graff said.

The Bison freshmen girls are scheduled to entertain Chase County Tuesday, Jan. 26, starting at 6:15 p.m.