Bluejays Basketball
Launch the media gallery 1 playerBluejays Fall to Blue Devils
by Kaleb Zamora
Pierce’s varsity boys’ basketball team traveled to Wayne on Friday, February 16. The Jays lost to the Blue Devils by a score of 29-48.
In the first quarter, both offenses started off slow as Wayne outscored Pierce 7-4. Scoring for the Bluejays were Braydan Waldner and Carter Rohrich with two points each. In the second quarter, Wayne’s offense and defense started to catch fire as they outscored the Jays 13-4. The only scoring for the Bluejays in the second quarter was from Waldner with four points. Going into the locker rooms, the Bluejays were trailing the Blue Devils 8-20 at half. In the second half, the Jays played a lot better, but Wayne still outscored Pierce 10-8. Leading the Jays in the third quarter were Waldner with six points and Carson Oestrich with two points from the free throw line. In the fourth quarter, both offenses were on a roll as Pierce scored 13 points, but Wayne still managed to score 18. Helping the Jays were Wyatt Neitzke with eight points and Waldner with five. At the end of the game, the scoreboard read 48-29 in Wayne’s favor.
Helping the Bluejays were Waldner with 17 points, and Neitzke with 8 points. Leading the team in rebounds was Waldner with eight, and Waldner had one block to lead the team also.
The team’s next game was played in subdistricts, which began Tuesday, February 20.
Bluejays Soar Over Cardinals
by Annie Johnson
The varsity Bluejay basketball team traveled to O’Neill to take on the St. Mary’s Cardinals on Monday, February 12. Because of strong offense, the Jays were able to take home a 51-21 victory.
In the first quarter, Braydan Waldner led the team’s the offensive stride by scoring ten points. Carson Oestreich followed suit by driving his way to the basket, contributing two points. Pierce’s defense didn’t leave many open areas for the Cardinals to score from, holding St. Mary’s to four points.
In the second quarter, momentum slowed down with Pierce scoring five points. Waldner scored the first three points, including one free throw, and Dalton Freeman found his way to the hoop and put up another two points for the Jays. Pierce held St. Mary’s offense to one point. Going into the half the Jays led with a score of 17-5.
Coming off the half, the Bluejays got things rolling again as Carter Rohrich sank a free throw shot followed by Waldner scoring six points, as well as Freeman working on the inside and scoring a total of four points. Taylor Oestreich managed to hit a three-pointer in the third quarter, boosting the Jays’ score.
In the fourth, Waldner started the quarter with six consecutive points followed by Gavin Larson with a three-point shot. Jadon Magdanz made his way to the hoop and put up two points, as did Wyatt Neitzke. Magdanz scored another two points again and drew a foul on the shot and sank it from the free throw line. David Dale and Jakob Edins ended the game each with two points for the Jays, who came out on top 51-21.
Individually, Waldner led the team in points with a total of 25. Waldner also led in rebounds with five, followed by T. Oestreich with three. C. Oestreich led in assists with a total of four, followed by T. Oestreich with three and Neitzke with two. Waldner had four steals, followed by T. Oestreich with three, and Larson and Freeman both with two steals. Waldner had one blocked shot over St. Mary’s.
Head coach Mike Emory said, “The boys played extremely hard on the defensive end for four quarters. They did a nice job of sharing the ball in the second half.”
The Bluejays’ next competition was on Tuesday, February 20, in Norfolk against Wayne as they began the first round of subdistricts.
JV Bluejays Lose to Blue Devils
by Brenna Collison
The JV boys’ basketball team travelled to Wayne on Friday, February 16, to battle the Blue Devils. The Bluejays fell to the Blue Devils with a score of 44-49.
The Bluejays kept up with Wayne in the first quarter, scoring 13 while the Blue Devils scored 15. Scoring in this quarter were Gavin Larson with seven points, Jadon Magdanz with four, and Weston Neitzke with a two-point shot.
The Bluejays picked up the pace in the second quarter, scoring ten and holding the Blue Devils to six. Scoring in this quarter were Larson with six points, David Dale with a two-point shot, and Neitzke with a two-point shot. Going into halftime, the score was 23-21.
Coming out of halftime, the Jays scored ten but allowed the Blue Devils to score 12. Scoring in this quarter were Neitzke with three buckets and Magdanz with two two-point shots.
During the fourth quarter, the Bluejays lost their momentum, scoring 11 and allowing the Blue Devils to score 16. Scoring in this quarter were Dale with a two-point shot, Neitzke with two buckets, Dalton Haase with a three-pointer, and Larson with a two-point shot. The Bluejays lost with a score of 44-49.
“We played a pretty good game,” coach Tim Waldner said, “but we did not execute well.”
This wrapped up the JV team’s season. They finished with a record of 9-7.
JV Bluejays Soar Over Cardinals
by Brenna Collison
The JV Bluejays traveled to O’Neill on Monday, February 12, to take on the St. Mary Cardinals. The JV game consisted of only two quarters as a result of O’Neill St. Mary’s not having enough players. The Bluejays took the win with an ending score of 36-11.
Starting of the game with high intensity, the Bluejays outscored the Cardinals 17-2. Scoring in this quarter were Dalton Haase with a two-point shot and David Dale with two two-point shots. Adding to that was Weston Neitzke with two free throws, Haase with another pair of two-point shots, and Gavin Larson with a three-pointer and two free throws.
Coming out of halftime, the Bluejays kept up the intensity, scoring 19 and holding the Cardinals to 9. Scoring in this quarter were Logan Moeller with three two-point shots, Dale with a two-point shot and a free throw, Chaden Roth with a three-pointer and a two-point shot, Mason Sindelar with a free throw and a two-point shot, and Luke Collison with a two-point shot. The JV Bluejays took the win with a score of 36-11.
“It was a different kind of game since it was only two quarters,” said coach Tim Waldner. “We had to be ready to go right off the bat.”
The JV Bluejays’ next game was Friday, February 16, at Wayne.
Freshman Boys to Knights
by Kaleb Zamora
The freshman boys’ basketball team traveled to Norfolk as the went up against Norfolk Catholic on Tuesday, February 13. The freshman boys played in a nail-biter as they got defeated 51-54. Coach Weber said on his team's performance that “They played well for two quarters, but that isn’t enough to beat good teams.” He went on to say, “We need to value the ball more and eliminate our turnovers if we want to win close games.”
This was the freshman team’s final game of the season. They wrapped up the year with a record of 13-5.
JH Boys Face Off Against Battle Creek
by Rose Graham
The 7th and 8th grade boys’ basketball teams took on Battle Creek Tuesday, February 13. The 7th grade team won 42-20, and the 8th grade team lost 40-51.
Scoring for the 7th grade team were Trevin Larson with 13 points, Abram Scholting with eight points, Benjamin Brahmer with six points, Colby Anderson with five points, Gavin Geneski with two points, Bode Hoffmann with two points, and Dawson Raabe with two points.
Scoring for the 8th grade team were Benjamin Brahmer with 13 points, Abram Scholting with nine points, Colby Anderson with seven points, Michael Kruntorad with five points, Kaden Johnson with two points, Ritter Oestreich with two points, and Dawson Raabe with two points.
The junior high’s next game were Saturday, February 17, at Hartington for a tournament to wrap up their season.
