KEARNEY – Senior Kierstynn Garner knocked down a three pointer to tie the game at the end of regulation for the Bearcats, but it was Bellevue East outlasting Kearney in the overtime period to earn the first win of the season in a 52-48 OT thriller. Click here to re-live the broadcast.
Both teams entered the contest starting their season in the Early Bird Quad Tournament. The first round contests were played at Kearney High School, with second round contests played at Bellevue East. Teams participating in the tournament include Kearney, Bellevue East, Lincoln Southwest, and Papillion-LaVista South.
Bellevue East came off a 13-11 season in 2020-21 and looked to continue their upward trend with a talented returning core, including future UNK Lopers Riley Jensen and Baylee Egan, as well as rising junior Mya Skoff. Bellevue East was a favorite in some pre-season polls to be a Top Ten team this year.
Kearney went 10-11 the prior season, as head coach Kyle Fletcher enters his third season and awaiting to see how his team continues to build for success.
The game started off with back-and-forth play between the two sides. Bellevue East took the early lead with points coming from Skoff and Jensen on drives, but Kearney stayed within reach by knocking down a three pointer by junior Haidyn Skeen and adding contributions from Kennidy Garner and senior Kaleigh Hatcher.
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Down 12-10 entering the second quarter, Kearney began to slowly chip away at the Chieftain defense. Tatum Rusher started the scoring with a slew of quick plays to nab four points in back-to-back possessions, while three pointers began to drop from downtown for the Bearcats. Five triples were connected by Kearney in the second quarter: two from Rusher, two from Kierstynn Garner, and one from Hatcher. Bellevue East kept pace with free throws and inside plays, as Jensen added 6 points in the quarter, but the Chieftains were outpaced 19-13 in the second to trail leading into halftime 29-25.
Kearney continued their lead well into the second half, but never leading by more than six points at any moment. Hatcher was electric in the third quarter, adding another 6 points and matching Skoff’s total in the quarter as well. Both teams scored 8 in the third, leading to the final 8 minutes as Kearney led 37-33.
After leading through much of the quarter, Kearney’s offense sputtered to the switching trap defense implemented by Bellevue East. The Chieftains garnered a three pointer from Catie Conover from their bench, and added points from the charity stripe playing in the bonus for much of the second half. This forced Kearney to play the slow game in the final moments, leading to a 43-41 deficit entering the final seconds of regulation.
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As Kearney attempted a shot inside and missed, Bellevue East’s Jensen corralled a rebound and was immediately fouled for a chance to ice the game away. The UNK commit sunk her first free throw, immediately followed by a timeout by Bearcat coach Kyle Fletcher. With six seconds remaining, Kearney needed a miss to force a chance to play for overtime. The second foul shot rimmed off the right side, and a rebound brought in by Garner brought her up the floor to the left wing. As the buzzer sounded, the ball traveled and connected with nothing but the nylon, and overtime was to be played at Kearney High in Game 1 of the season.
Overtime was not kind to the Bearcats, as only four points were scored by shots at the free throw line. Jensen added another two of a drive off the right side, and Bellevue East outlasted Kearney by hitting their free throws late in the contest. The Chieftains won their season opener 52-48.
Bellevue East improves to 1-0 on the year and will face Lincoln Southwest on Saturday. Skoff had 19 points, Jensen finished with 17, Egan had 7 with 7 rebounds, freshman Jayla Wilson had 3 points, Conover ended with 3, and 1 point was added by reserve Mackenzie Reimer.
Kearney falls to 0-1 on the season and takes on Papillion-LaVista South on Saturday. Bearcat contributors include: Hatcher with 14 points, 12 added by Rusher, 11 by Kierstynn Garner, 4 points each by Kennidy Garner and Maddy Province, and 3 contributed by Skeen.
