PAPILLION – The Kearney boys are heartbroken again. At the hands of Papillion-LaVista South, the Bearcats had a chance to tie the game to send the contest into added time but a missed three pointer off the side of the rim ended their chances to earn win number seven on the year. Click here to listen to the broadcast.
Kearney entered the day having fell to Lincoln Northeast the night prior in a thrilling second-half comeback that fell just short 57-53. As the Bearcats entered the day at 6-5, Papillion-LaVista South sported the same record and were fresh having their Friday contest against Millard North postponed due to heavy snowfall cancelling school in the metro.
The early Saturday evening matchup kicked off in a good way for Kearney, who immediately began firing on all cylinders with a barrage of attacks from all angles. Kaden Miller dropped two triples, Jack Mundorf added one of his own, and Parker Wise, Will Vanderbeek, and Jack Dahlgren each added a score of their own to outpace the Titans 16-9. Papillion-LaVista South could not find any inside shooting, only knocking down triples by Tyler Mackling and two from their leading scorer on the year Daniel Brocaille.
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Brocaille was held scoreless in the second quarter, but the Titans instead relied on freshman Bryson Bahl who came off the bench and provided an overwhelming spark to the attack as he dropped eleven points in the second. Kearney’s pace slowed and in another underwhelming quarter, the Bearcats were outgunned 19-7 in the second. As Kearney was getting to a rhythm as well, Miller fell with an injury that would remove him from action for some time. The gap in play allowed the Titans to regain control of momentum and earned their lead entering the second half at 28-23.
Kearney’s Jack Dahlgren put the offensive load on his shoulders in the third quarter, mustering a 10 point effort that included two three pointers. Karter Lee also added a triple for the Bearcats. The Titans would not cede quietly however, as Brocaille dropped nine points mainly from the charity stripe and attacks at the iron. Papillion-LaVista South weathered the third quarter storm and led 43-39 entering the final quarter.
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In a back-and-forth quarter, Kearney could never take control of the game to tie or take the lead. Consistently playing from behind, the Bearcats Parker Wise rallied with back-to-back runners inside the paint with impressive moves to find space. Vanderbeek added another four points as well, but the effort fell short as Brocaille continued his dominant second half with another six points finishing with 21 total. Down 56-53 in the final seconds, Brocaille missed the final shot of a double-bonus opportunity and gave Kearney the chance for a last second shot to tie the game. The three pointer from Vanderbeek fell off the mark, and the Bearcats fell on back-to-back nights in heartbreaking fashion.
Kearney now stands at 6-6 on the season and had contributions form Dahlgren with 17 points, Vanderbeek finished with 12, Miller and Wise had 9, Mundorf had 5 points, and Lee ended with 3. The Bearcats are back in action next week taking on Lincoln Pius X on the road Friday while hosting Lincoln Southwest in a rematch at Kearney High on Saturday night.
