KEARNEY – The Kearney girls basketball team had plenty of motivation to take down Fremont in their Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament opener Wednesday afternoon – despite the Tigers sporting a complete roster makeover from the team that ended the Bearcats season in March. Kearney controlled the contest early and never looked back, earning their fifth win on the year and opening the HAC Tournament with a bang, earning a 70-36 victory at Kearney High School. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney entered the holiday break at 4-2 on the year and seeded #6 in the HAC Tournament. Both losses for Kearney had come from some of the better teams in the state: Millard South and Lincoln High. Fremont had free-fallen from their state championship run the past season sitting at 2-3 while missing their top five leading scorers from the past year.
The Bearcats and Tigers locked in early at Kearney High School in the early afternoon matchup as Kearney’s Tatum Rusher looked locked in early. Despite Fremont opening up with two three-pointers to open the contest, the Bearcats Kennidy Garner and Rusher knocked down their own triples to tie the game at six while a score with 4:38 remaining in the first gave Kearney a 8-6 lead they would never relinquish. Rusher hit three-triples in the opening eight minutes and added her own three-point play to boot, scoring twelve in total in the first quarter as Kearney stifled the Fremont attack leading 22-8 at the end of the first.
KHS GBB
Kearney continued a strong offensive presence but Fremont wouldn’t back down early, adding their scoring from the free-throw line and relying on Emmalee Sheppard to lead the cause. Despite Kearney’s 17 points in the quarter – including eight from Rusher – the Bearcats gave up 14 but maintained their lead at 39-22.
With another three pointer by Rusher in the third quarter made it six triples in the contest for her alone, Kelsey Hatcher added to her total with a three pointer. Paige Mailahn also added her own three, while Fremont was stifled to only eight points total in the quarter. Outscoring the Tigers 15-8 in the third, Kearney controlled the contest leading 54-30 entering the fourth.
KHS GBB
The Bearcats added another 16 points and held Fremont to only 6, dominating the second half and ending with eight different scorers as Kearney cruised to a 70-36 win.
#6 Kearney earned a trip to Lincoln to face #3 Lincoln Southwest who had a first round bye as one of the top four seeds of the holiday tournament. The Bearcats will face the Silverhawks at Lincoln Southwest with tip-off at 2 PM.
The Bearcats had contributions from Rusher with 25 points, Kiara Dutenhoffer ended with 14, Garner, Hatcher, and Addie Helmbrecht each had 7, Avery Franzen concluded with 5, Mailahn had 3, and Haidyn Skeen ended with 2.
