BELLEVUE – The Kearney Girls basketball team came out ready to compete with #5 Bellevue East, but the sharp-shooting Chieftains eventually stifled the late rallies by the Bearcats to end their season at 15-11 in the 63-44 loss in the A-5 District Championship. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney entered the Friday night tilt in Bellevue with a win in the semifinal over Papillion-LaVista South, having their best all-around offensive performance on the season in the first half of that matchup. Bellevue East handled business in their semifinal matchup, outgunning Omaha North in a rout.
KHS GBB
As the game tipped off, Head Coach JD Carson elected to give junior Kiara Dutenhoffer her second start on the season to matchup with Bellevue East. Kearney’s strategy worked early, opening up Maddy Province for some quick scoring in the opening two minutes as two drives inside gave Province four points and the Bearcats a short lead. East quickly responded, finding scoring from Brani Jackson who totaled six points in the first quarter.
KHS GBB
After tying the game at 6 by a Tatum Rusher lay-in, Kearney would not score again as the Chieftains earned a 12-6 advantage with four different scorers contributing.
KHS GBB
As the second quarter began, Kearney continued to attempt to keep pace. Junior guard Kennidy Garner hit her first three pointer of the contest to keep the Bearcats within reach, and Bellevue East did their part as well having picked up eight fouls to Kearney’s one by halftime. However, Kearney could not capitalize at the charity stripe going three of ten from the free throw line in the first half.
KHS GBB
Jackson connected on a triple for East, while Mya Skoff proved her Division I talent with seven points including a fadeaway three-pointer. The Chieftains scored a 17-12 advantage in the second, leading to a 29-18 lead at halftime.
KHS GBB
The Bearcats second half rally could not close the gap, as short runs by the Bearcats would be snuffed out quickly. Kearney would close a twenty point deficit to eleven, only to allow a Bellevue East fun to then funnel back to a fifteen point deficit. The Bearcats’ Kelsey Hatcher did find success in the third, scoring six points, but the turnovers and empty possessions haunted Kearney trailing 47-31 entering the fourth quarter.
KHS GBB
Kearney could not keep the Chieftains off the hot shooting rhythm, giving the contest to Bellevue East and ending as A-5 District Runner-Up and falling 63-44 to wrap their season.
KHS GBB
The Bearcats’ have improved their season win total every season since the 2019-20 season, going from 13-11 last year to 15-11 this season.
Kearney ended with contributions from Maddy Province with 13 points, Rusher had 9, Garner wrapped with 8, Hatcher added 8, Harley Straka had 3, Kiara Dutenhoffer concluded with 2, and Addy Helmbrecht ended with 1.
Hear from Head Coach JD Carson in the postgame report his thoughts on his team’s season, his seniors, and thoughts from the contest:
