NORTH PLATTE – The Kearney Bearcats girls basketball team looked to be in the driver’s seat up 11 in the middle of the third quarter, but an explosive performance by North Platte in the fourth quarter squandered Kearney’s chances for their tenth win on the season falling 63-46. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney entered the contest at 9-6 on the year having lost three of their last four contest and looking to rebound with win on Thursday night over the regional rival North Platte. The Bulldogs had been through an up-and-down season coming into the contest as they entered at 7-7. The contest between the Bulldogs and Bearcats had been postponed from Jan. 7 due to inclement weather cancelling school for North Platte back in early January.
Kearney was also without their leading scorer on the season and one of their top defenders in Tatum Rusher, as Rusher was unavailable for action on Thursday night.
The Bearcats made the Bulldogs wish the contest had remained in early January, as Kearney opened the contest early with a new offensive philosophy – work the ball inside to their tremendous forwards and bully the Bulldogs underneath. Kaleigh Hatcher quickly gathered buckets as she scored six in the opening minutes. Younger sister Kelsey Hatcher also found a powerful bucket in the first quarter, but North Platte had scoring of their own as well. Clancy Brown, averaging 17 points per contest, knocked down runners and step-back shots to earn six in the first quarter. Her running mate Carly Purdy found four points as well. The Bearcats’ Kennidy Garner stepped up for a triple in the quarter – the only outside shot by either side in the opening eight minutes – as the Bulldogs and Kearney were tied at 11 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter belonged to Kearney as the Bearcats overmatched North Platte by a 17-11 advantage. Garner’s older sister Kierstynn drained back-to-back triples in the quarter as the outside shooting began to heat up for Kearney, while underneath Haidyn Skeen and the Hatchers continued their work. Both Hatchers had an additional two, while Skeen fought for five in the quarter. North Platte’s Brown hit the first three pointer of the game for the Bulldogs in the second, while Purdy earned six points. North Platte had three scorers – Brown, Purdy, and Ellie Blakely who added a free throw in the first half – but kept themselves in line with Kearney only trailing 28-22 entering halftime.
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With momentum on the Bearcats side, Kearney knocked down a triple from Kennidy Garner while continuing to work in the paint. Kaleigh Hatcher completed a three-point play and as Kearney held an 11 point advantage, momentum immediately shifted to the Bulldogs from the mid-third quarter on. Brown added two transition buckets, while North Platte finally received help from others with Kylie Harvey banking in a three pointer and adding a jumper to start the North Platte run. Brown ended the quarter with a three pointer to beat the buzzer from the right wing as the game again tied up at 40 all with the fourth quarter left to play.
The Bearcats could not get clean possessions in the proceeding eight minutes, as North Platte stormed past Kearney in a blitzing 23-6 run. The fourth quarter run began in the first two minutes of the fourth with Kearney giving up a 12-0 run. Brown added another ten points in the quarter, Purdy used her size and body control for multiple offensive and defensive boards, and Harvey banked in another three pointer as the rout began. The Bearcats would only add a three point play by Hatcher and a triple by Kierstynn Garner, and Kearney fell to 9-7 on the season with the 63-46 loss.
The Bearcats had contributions from Kaleigh Hatcher with 14 points, Kierstynn Garner had 11, Kelsey Hatcher finished with 8, Haidyn Skeen had 7, and Kennidy Garner ended with 6 points.
Kearney faces an impressive 11-2 Lincoln High School Links squad coming to Kearney High School on Friday. Pregame coverage on KGFW begins at 5:45 PM with Alex Hammeke on the call.
