Ben Johnson, Kearney High School Boys Basketball v. Gretna, A-7 District Final // Mitchell Brandt
KEARNEY – The moment was nearly perfect for the Kearney Bearcats; a home postseason district final, their backs against the wall in a packed house at Kearney High School, and the final possession of the contest trailing by two points. A 45-foot heave by the Bearcats leading scorer Ben Johnson ended up mere inches shy of completing an epic comeback, leaving the hometown team heartbroken in the 65-63 loss. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
The Bearcats entered the Tuesday night tilt aiming to make their first state tournament appearance since 2019, hosting their first district championship since that season. Kearney had fought through their local rival Grand Island the Saturday prior, earning a gritty defensive win in the A-7 Semifinal.
Visiting Kearney High School as the second-seed in the A-7 District were the Gretna Dragons. Gretna was already a talented and experienced team, but also carried themselves into the championship tilt with an extra boost of motivation. The Dragons had been to the Class A semifinals in back-to-back seasons with many of the featured players in Tuesday night’s contest while also pushing through for nineteen wins entering the contest.
However, a major setback occurred prior to the season even beginning, as head coach Brad Feeken’s neuroendocrine cancer battle required more extensive care. Ultimately, the leader of the Dragons passed away on Dec. 30, 2023, 12 hours prior to Gretna’s quarterfinal contest in the Metro Conference Tournament. Gretna was set and determined to prove their worth and continue on the legacy of Feeken.
Kearney High School Boys Basketball v. Gretna, A-7 District Final // Mitchell Brandt
As the crowd began to settle in for a 7 PM tip-off at Kearney High School, anxious energy filled the gym as the stands bolstered nearly 3,000 fans a half-hour before the start of the contest. That energy burst when both teams entered the floor to warm-up, and continued to erupt prior to the starting lineups.
The first stretch of the contest pushed the crowd to a near-breaking point for ear-ringing across the gym. Both the Dragons and Bearcats came out firing quickly, as each team would respond to nearly every bucket knocked down in the opening eight minutes. The contest began with a three pointer to start the day from Gretna as Alex Wilcoxson connected on his first triple of the day.
Responding quickly were the Bearcats, led by a furious start by junior Ben Johnson. Johnson had been held to a career low of two points in the A-7 semifinal and looked to get off to a hot-start with the season on the line. Ben would connect on his own three pointer in the quarter, while Kearney fed Asher Endorf and Johnson inside to respond at each bucket by the Dragons. Gretna relied on their outside shooting to surge ahead, as Joey Vieth hit his own three pointer. Landon Pokorski added in two lay-ins with Kade Cook contributing four points. However, Kearney surged ahead in the final two minutes, as Endorf’s six points in the paint and Johnson’s nine points in the quarter led the way to a 19-15 advantage for the Bearcats.
With the nine point effort in the opening, Johnson entered the All-time Kearney High School Top Ten scoring list, surpassing Doug Koster.
The second quarter began a scoring drought for Kearney as they were out-dueled 21-8 in the period. The scoring trio of Johnson, Webber, and Endorf each had a field goal in the quarter including Jacob Webber’s claim to the Bearcat record books. The sophomore wing hit his first three pointer of the contest, claiming the three-pointers made in a season record over Alex Aten with his 82nd triple. However, turnovers, empty possessions, and a blistering scoring run by Gretna pushed Kearney down into a halftime hole of 36-27. The Gretna run was powered by Wilcoxson who added six points, but the Dragons soared from Cook having seven points in the period to total eleven in the first half.
Jacob Webber, Kearney High School Boys Basketball v. Gretna, A-7 District Final // Mitchell Brandt
The Bearcats second half rally began in the third quarter, as the Bearcats made up the deficit with lethal outside shooting. Seniors Karter Lee and Colt Straka combined for eleven points, including three-triples (two by Lee), while Webber nailed back-to-back three pointers to tie then take the lead in the third. However, Gretna would rapidly gobble up turnovers once again and turn Bearcats’ mistakes into Dragons’ points. After tying the game at 36, Kearney would fall behind from a Dragon 16-8 run that led into the fourth and final quarter. Cook led the way in the quarter again for the visiting side, scoring nine of his game-high 25 total points in the third – including his second three pointer of the contest.
A rapid-fire pace continued in the fourth quarter as Gretna quickly ballooned their lead to double-digits, leading by as much as twelve in the final frame. With five minutes to go on the season, Kearney began to work their way back in to the game, aided by Gretna’s slow-paced offense being unable to find scoring chances against a tenacious Bearcat defense. Johnson, having been held scoreless in the third quarter, mustered up a scoring frenzy in the fourth quarter putting up ten points. He began his quarter with a rally to the rim, getting fouled and knocking down an and-one shot for Kearney’s first free throw attempt and make of the second half.
Karter Lee, Kearney High School Boys Basketball v. Gretna, A-7 District Final // Mitchell Brandt
As the final minutes wound away, Kearney trailed by multiple possessions heading into the final two minutes. Down seven with less than a minute to go, the Bearcats efforts began to pay off. Kearney hit a late three-pointer by Lee, while Colt Straka wound up with two steals that later led to buckets for Kearney. The Bearcats’ strategy would also pay off, with an intentional miss at the free thow line by Straka scoring an additional bucket by Kearney. As the home crowd re-entered the game, Gretna began to unravel slightly with missed free throws down the stretch – going 1-for-four in the final two minutes. After Straka’s last steal, scramble, and score, the Bearcats trailed 64-63 before fouling Cook with 4.3 seconds left to play.
The senior knocked down the first charity stripe shot, but missed on the second. Johnson elevated in a clear lane for a rebound, worked his way to the near-sideline with time winding down. As the junior approached half-court, Johnson took a football throw-attempt 45 feet away from the rim. His shot fell short by mere inches, flinging off of the front rim and ending Kearney’s season in heartbreak.
Gretna celebrated their victory as the A-7 District Champions, advancing to the Class A State Tournament for the third consecutive year. Kearney ends their season at 17-7 and are district runner-up in back-to-back years.
UNOFFICAL KGFW SCORING TOTALS:
Gretna: Cook (25 points), Wilcoxson (14), Pokorski (13), Alec Wilkens (6), Vieth (6)
Kearney: Johnson (22 points), Webber (15), Endorf (10), Lee (9), Straka (7)
Kearney High School Boys Basketball v. Gretna, A-7 District Final // Mitchell Brandt
Kearney High School Boys Basketball v. Gretna, A-7 District Final // Mitchell Brandt
