KHS BBB v. Elkhorn South // Mitchell Brandt
KEARNEY – The Bearcat Boys Basketball team put an exclamation point – maybe several – on their season opening win over Elkhorn South, putting the rest of Class A on notice. Kearney earned the home win 79-48, cruising past the Storm. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney (1-0) now rematches with the team that ended its season in late February for the 2022-23 season, heading to Millard North on Saturday. Elkhorn South will face Lincoln Pius X at the Stable.
The Bearcats had been trending in the right direction for their preseason hype train, as Kearney returned several key starters, contributors, and experience from last year’s district runner-up team to quantify a potentially lethal team for the upcoming season. Kearney then had the addition of Jacob Webber, a touted recruit from Arizona, move to the Kearney area with his family adding in another level of expectation for the Class A program from Buffalo County.
Elkhorn South faced a more open off-season having made their first state tournament since the school was a Class B program in March. Second year head coach JJ Zumbrennen was excited to see his fresh-faced team in action, only returning a single player with major varsity experience from last year’s team.
Kearney’s home crowd filed in to Kearney High School with authority, as the pregame atmosphere nearly lifted off with a well-designed hype video that sent the Rowdies section into hysterics. The energy was palpable, giving the Bearcats the juice to get the edge early in the contest.
Asher Endorf opened the game with a quick lay-in after Ben Johnson won the opening tip, as the Bearcats took a quick 10-5 lead in the opening minutes. While Elkhorn South was able to stay in pace early, Endorf’s inside presence proved to be too much to handle early as the senior scored eight first quarter points. Endorf would not be alone in the scoring, joined by Webber and Johnson as both knocked down three pointers and added two more points for each to total five in the opening quarter. Ian Piper added a triple as well, as Elkhorn South only mustered eight total points from Aidan Skrades and Owen Musil. Kearney had the early lead, up 21-8.
The Bearcats continued their offensive output scoring another twenty points in the second. Starting on an 8-2 run, Johnson put the team on his shoulders to carry the load inside. The rising junior bullied his way to points in the paint, thundering in ten points for fifteen in the first half. Webber would contribute another triple, while Endorf would add in three more points as well. Elkhorn South’s Skrades – fresh off a state football championship appearance – found his groove going for ten points in the quarter. Musil would add another three, but the damage had been done and Kearney controlled a 40-21 game.
Ben Johnson, KHS BBB // Mitchell Brandt
Into the start of the third, Kearney put the game away for good early scoring 15 unanswered points, going up 55-21 in the opening minutes of the third. Webber hit another three, then added five more points including an and-one chance. Endorf would find four more points, and Karter Lee added his first points of the season with a triple and a jumper for five total points. Most starters for Kearney would sit throughout stretches of the late quarter, as Kearney pushed their lead to 35, but ended up leading 63-35 to start the fourth quarter.
Head coach Drake Beranek would put his starters back into the contest to keep their lead, as Elkhorn South found its rhythm into the fourth quarter. However, reserves on both sides would control the final moments as Kearney would close out the game on a 79-48 win.
The Bearcats (1-0) head to Millard North on Saturday to face off against the Mustangs. Kearney’s contest is scheduled to start at 4:15 PM with KGFW’s pregame coverage set for 4 PM.
UNOFFICIAL KGFW STATS:
KEARNEY SCORING: Webber, 20; Johnson, 20; Endorf, 17; Piper, 6; Lee, 5; Bertrand, 4; Evan Slaymaker, 3; Jacob Hansen, 3; Colt Straka, 1.
ELKHORN SOUTH SCORING: Skradis, 22; Musil, 7; Lincoln Schwarz, 6; Sam Vander-Linden, 5; Landon Wemhoff, 4; Fletcher Morris, 4
