Sports News Feb 8th - Feb 12th
JH Bluejays Slay Dragons
by Shianna Oestreich
Soaring to Madison, the Bluejays defeated both junior high Madison teams on the basketball courts on Monday, February 8.
The night started out with the seventh grade games. During the first quarter, Chaden Roth scored three two-point baskets. Dawson Watts made one free throw. Tyler Race put up two points for Pierce. Hunter Raabe dropped in two free throws to end the quarter. The Jays defense stayed strong and stopped the Dragons from gaining any points. The quarter ended with a score of 11 to 0.
Roth dropped in a shot from behind the arc during the second quarter. Watts put up three shots worth two points each. Logan Moeller popped up a three-point shot also. Once again, the Dragons were held to no points. The score was 23 to 0 at halftime.
As the Bluejays came out after half, Roth put up two points for Pierce. Watts swished in a free throw. Lucas Gnat dropped in two points, and Race made a two-point shot as well. Madison was able to score 10 points, making the score 30 to 10 at the end of the third.
Finishing smoothly, the Bluejays sealed in the win in the fourth. Roth scored four points for the team, and Watts dropped in a two-pointer, along with two free throws. Moeller sealed two two-point shots. Race put in two more points for Pierce. The Dragons stole 12 points for the quarter, but the game ended with the Bluejays in the lead with a score of 44 to 22.
Continuing the night’s games, the eighth grade team took the court next. Jakob Edins dropped in three two-point shots and two free throws in the first, and Carson Oestreich swished in a free throw. Carter Rohrich put up two shots for a total of four points. Dalton Freeman and Gavin Larson both dropped in two points each for Pierce. The Jays’ defense again held the Dragons to a low-scoring quarter, as Madison only made two points. The score at the end of the first quarter was 17 to 2.
Weston Neitzke put up two points during the second quarter. Oestreich dropped in a two-point shot for Pierce. Dylan Svoboda added two points to the Bluejays’ lead, and Kage Heisinger put up two points as well. Larson made to baskets during the second quarter for a total of four points. Madison stole three points during this quarter. The score at half was 29 to 5 with Pierce in the lead.
The scoring on the Jays’ side slowed during the third, but Pierce held on strong to the lead. Svoboda was the source of the scoring this quarter with two free throws. The Dragons obtained six points during the third quarter. The score going into the fourth quarter was 31 to 11.
Finishing out the game, the Bluejays stayed on top until end of the fourth quarter. Neitzke put up two points, and Freeman added two more points. Heisinger dropped in two more points this quarter. Madison added 15 points to their score, yet the Bluejays brought home a win with a final score of 37 to 26.
Junior high coach Grant Doerr was pleased with his team’s performance. “We got off to a good start with both of the games,” he said. “The kids really just played well.”
The junior high boys’ last game of the season will be played on Saturday, February 20, at Hartington CC.
Freshman Boys Fall short to Norfolk
by Levi Sudbeck
Traveling to Norfolk, the freshman Bluejays were defeated by the Panthers on Monday, February 8, with a final score of 45 to 58.
Starting off in the first quarter of the game, the Bluejays put up six points with the help from Dalton Haase with two points, Kalvin Watts with two points, and Justin West with two points. The Panthers played strong offense in the first quarter and put up 13 points. The score at the end of the first quarter was 6 to 13.
Heading to the second quarter, the Bluejays added ten more points to their six with assistance from Jadon Magdanz with two baskets and a free throw, Watts with a three-pointer, and West with a basket. Norfolk stayed strong and put up another 16 points to keep them in the lead. The score at the end of the first half was 16 to 29.
The Bluejays kept their scoring up by putting up 11 points in the third quarter. The boys that scored these points were Logan Kallhoff with two points, Watts with two baskets and a three-pointer, and Grant Lambrecht with two points. The Bluejays kept the Panthers to only nine points in this quarter and brought themselves closer to Norfolk. The score at the end of the third quarter was 27 to 38.
In the final quarter of the game, the Bluejays scored a nice 18 points making this their best offensive quarter of the game. The players that scored these points were Devan Roth with two free throws, Haase with a free throw, West with two free throws and a basket, Ian Fisher with a three-pointer, Watts with four points, and Magdanz with two baskets. The Panthers stayed strong by scoring 20 points of their own in the final quarter, which gave them the victory with a final score of 45 to 58.
Freshman basketball coach Zach Webber said, “I was very pleased with the effort, and I thought the guys played really hard and competed very well.”
The freshman Bluejays’ next game will be Friday, February 19, against Wayne.
JV Lady Jays Fly Over GACC
by Shianna Oestreich
Stepping onto Pierce’s home court for the last home game of the JV season, the Lady Jays defeated the Guardian Angel Central Catholic Bluejays on Thursday, February 11, with a final score of 38 to 31.
The game stayed close throughout the first quarter. Sidney Zimmerer dropped in a two-point shot along with a three-pointer. Maci Kroupa put in a two-point shot as well. GACC stole six points during the quarter, making the score 7 to 6 at the end of the first quarter.
Free-throws were the source of the scoring during the second quarter for Pierce. Brenna Collison dropped in a free throw. Maggie Brahmer made one for her team also. Maci Kroupa made two more free throws during the quarter. GACC put up ten points for the quarter to overcome Pierce’s lead. Pierce trailed at the end of the quarter with a score of 11 to 16.
Scoring went back and forth during the third quarter. Collison put in a two-pointer during this quarter. Carly Sutherland popped in two two-point shots as well. GACC added eleven points to their score. The quarter ended 17 to 26 with the Lady Jays still behind.
The Lady Jays came out the final quarter with fire. M. Brahmer dropped in a free throw. Kroupa lit up the scoreboard for Pierce after she hit three three-point shots. Kayla Simmons dropped in a three-pointer, two shots worth two points each, and two free throws. Brianna Aguilera dropped in a two-point shot as well. The Lady Jays’ defense played strong, allowing only four points from GACC. The game ended with a score of 38 to 31.
With this win, the Lady Jays ended the year with an impressive 13 and 3 record.
JV Bluejays Defeat GACC
by Justin Larson
Pierce’s JV Bluejays faced off against the Guardian Angels Central Catholic Bluejays Thursday, February 12, in Pierce. The Jays won with a final score being 53 to 51.
During the first quarter, the Jays were jumped out to an early lead. Walker Raabe made two baskets and sunk a three-pointer, while Brady Simmons made two baskets as well, and Caleb Sullivan made a free throw. GACC wasn’t far behind, however, and the score at the end of the quarter was Pierce’s 12 to GACC’s 9.
GACC took over the lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Jays 8 to 14. For the Jays, Simmons made a basket for two, and Parker Baumann came into play when he made two baskets and a free throw. Dysen Roth also made a free throw. The Jays’ defense, however, allowed GACC to rack up points, and the score going into halftime saw the Jays down 20 to 25.
In the third quarter, Pierce reclaimed their lead. Kyle West made a basket for two, and Raabe nailed a three-pointer and two baskets. Baumann made a three-pointer, a basket, and a free throw, and Sullivan made two free throws. Taylor Oestreich made three free throws and a basket. Having added these 20 points to their score offensively, the Jays held GACC to just eight on defense, and the score at the end of the quarter was Pierce’s 40 to GACC’s 33.
The Pierce Bluejays came out on top following a solid fourth quarter. Simmons made three baskets, as did Oestreich. Baumann made a free throw. GACC staged a comeback, scoring 18 points in the fourth, but the Jays remained on top and won 53 to 51, with the Pierce Bluejays coming out on top.
The most important key to winning the game was, “finding a way to attack their trapping, pressing defense,” according to head coach Tim Waldner.
The next JV boys’ game is scheduled for Friday, February 19, at Wayne.
JH Boys Go 1-and-1 Against Creighton
by Levi Sudbeck
Journeying to Creighton, the JH boys’ basketball team won one and lost one on Thursday, February 11. The seventh graders won with a final score of 56 to 28, and the eighth graders fell short to Creighton by only one point with a final score of 26 to 27.
In the seventh grade game, the Bluejays started out strong in the first half by scoring 26 points with help from Chadon Roth with nine points, Dawson Watts with 12, Tyler Race with a three-pointer, Tristan Miller with a basket, and Logan Moeller with six points. Creighton trailed behind by scoring 12 points in the first half, which ended the first half with a score 26 to 12.
The Bluejays had a strong second half by putting up a big 24 points with assistance from Hunter Raabe with two points, Race with four points, Moeller with a basket and a three-pointer, Watts with eight points, and Roth with a three-pointer and a basket. Creighton tried to come back, but they couldn’t score enough points. They scored 16 points in the second half, which gave the Bluejays the victory with a final score of 56 to 28.
Heading into the eighth grade game, the Bluejays scored only two points, both from free throws, in the first quarter. The two free throws were scored by Carson Oestreich, while Creighton pulled ahead early by scoring ten points.
In the second quarter of the game, the Bluejays put up four points, while Creighton scored only two points. The players that scored the four points were Oestreich with two points, and Gavin Larson with two points. The score at the end of the second quarter was 6 to 12.
In the third quarter of the game, the Bluejays put up eight points with help from Dalton Freeman with two points, Larson with a three-pointer, and Oestreich with a three-pointer. Creighton stayed strong by scoring 11 points to keep them ahead with a score of 14 to 23.
Going into the final eight minutes of the game, the Bluejays almost brought Creighton’s lead to a halt, but Creighton stayed up by one point. The Bluejays who scored were Carter Rohrich with two points, Oestreich with two points and three free throws, and Larson with two points to bring their total to 12 points. Creighton scored only four points, but it was enough to give them the win with a final score of 26 to 27.
“The seventh graders played really well, both on the offensive and defensive side,” said JH boys’ coach Grant Doerr. “In the eighth grade game, both teams played really good defense. We missed a few shots at the beginning of the game, but the kids fought back.
The next game for JH boys basketball will be a tournament on Saturday, February 20, at Hartington CC.
Varsity Lady Jays Fall Short to Guardian Angels
by Annie Johnson
Losing by one point, the girls’ varsity basketball team took a tough loss on their home court against the West Point Guardian Angels. Due to strong offense from West Point in the fourth quarter, Guardian Angels was able to walk away with the win over the Lady Jays with a final score of 46 to 47 on Thursday, February 11.
During the first eight minutes of the game, Jaci Brahmer got the game started with an easy two-point shot from under the basket. Shortly after, Shelby Bretschneider added another two points to the score for the home team. Casey Sutherland kept adding points to the board for the girls after she hit a shot from the outside, which was good for an additional three points. Continuing to get past West Point’s defense, J. Brahmer put up another two points. Carly Sutherland scored a three-pointer to end the quarter with a score of 12 to 6 with Pierce in the lead.
In the second quarter, sisters Casey and Carly Sutherland went back to back with three-point shots to give the girls an additional six points. Next up, J. Brahmer kept the momentum rolling for the Lady Jays when she managed to score another two points from underneath. Ending the half, Carly Sutherland hit her second shot from behind the arc for the quarter, allowing the team to head to the locker rooms with a lead of 23 to 12.
During the second half, West Point and Pierce held each other’s offenses to a low score of six points. From the Lady Jays’ lineup, Kate Asmus started the quarter with four consecutive points for the team. J. Brahmer closed the third quarter with yet another bucket worth two points.
In the final quarter of the game, the Lady Jays lit up the scoreboard, scoring the majority of their points from behind the free throw line. J. Brahmer had two points from the line and another two from a shot underneath. Continuing free throw shots, Bretschneider and Hailey Race each had four points, Casey Sutherland scored one point, and Asmus scored two points along with a shot from inside the lane. GACC, however, racked up 29 points in the final quarter to take the win 46 to 47 over the Lady Jays.
Head coach Darren Sindelar said, “I thought for most of the game we played very well. Holding GACC to 18 points for three quarters was a good defensive effort. In the fourth quarter, we struggled at the freethrow line, and they hit some big shots that gave them momentum. We had our opportunities to put the game away and we let them hang around. Good teams will take advantage of that.”
The Lady Jays’ next games were played in sub-districts, which began Tuesday, February 16.
Varsity Bluejays Win Nail-Biter Against GACC
by Emily Simmons
Playing on their home court, the Pierce varsity boys’ basketball team went head to head with West Point Guardian Angels Central Catholic on Thursday, February 11. The Bluejays won in a tight game with a score of 38 to 37.
In the first quarter, GACC outscored the Bluejays to give them the early lead. Braydan Waldner went to the basket for two points. Walker Raabe went the hoop for two and was fouled. He made his free throw. The first quarter ended with GACC leading 5 to 9.
During the second quarter, GACC continued to rally points to the score and kept Pierce from taking the lead. Brady Starkel made two points, and Austin Freeman went to the free throw line for one point. Caleb Sullivan was fouled going to the hoop and made the basket and the free throw. The buzzer ended the first half with GACC on top 11 to 19.
Coming out of halftime, the Bluejays played strong defensively and offensively. Pierce took the lead and was able to hold GACC to eight points. Freeman scored two points, and Starkel went behind the arc for the three. Taggart Bailey made five points, one being a three-pointer. Raabe put up seven points, one coming from the free throw line. The third quarter ended with Pierce in the lead 28 to 27.
The final quarter was a battle to the end as both teams wanted to have the victory. Bailey and Mason Buckendahl each made two points. Brady Starkel went to the free throw line for two points, and Raabe scored four points. The game came to a close with Pierce taking the win 38 to 37.
The varsity boys’ basketball team had a game at Bennington on Saturday, February 13. Their next game will be on Friday, February 19, at Wayne.
Wrestlers Take Down Districts
by Krystina Schuett
The Pierce High wrestlers traveled to North Bend on Friday, February 12, and Saturday, February 13, to compete for the opportunity to wrestle at state. Scoring 47 points, the Bluejays placed 12th in their district meet. Both Levi Sudbeck and Cody Yawn will be continuing their seasons in the state tournament.
Wrestling at 126, Cody Yawn placed 4th at districts and qualified for state. In his first round, Yawn won by pin over Jayden Kreikemeier of Logan View. Yawn pinned Jefferson McNeill of Oakland Craig in his next match. Lucas Miller of Crofton-Bloomfield won by pin over Yawn in the semifinal match. In the consolation match, Yawn defeated Ty Heimes of Battle Creek in sudden victory 7 to 3 to secure his state spot. Next, Yawn wrestled Dylan Hartline of Ft. Calhoun. Yawn lost by decision 3 to 8.
Also placing 4th, Levi Sudbeck wrestled at 145 and qualified for state. Sudbeck won his first match by pin over Wyatt Uhing from Oakland-Craig. Subeck beat his next opponent Cole McCormick from Ft. Calhoun by pin. Caleb Haskell from Madison beat Sudbeck in the semi-final match by decision 2 to 4. In the consolation match, Sudbeck pinned Nathan Rock from Logan View to qualify for state. Dillon Hupp from Norfolk Catholic beat Sudbeck by decision 13 to 15 in the 3rd place match.
Brodey Peters wrestled at 132 and lost his first round to Tristin Lowry-Berlin of Wisner-Pilger by pin. Peters received a bye in his first consolation round. In his second consolation round, Peters was pinned by Joshua Strauss of North Bend Central.
Nelson Emerson wrestled at 138. He lost his first match by getting pinned by Tristan Simons from Battle Creek. He received a bye his next round. His following round, he lost by tech fall 3 to 20 to Levi Honeywell from Crofton-Bloomfield.
Austin Wickett wrestled at 152 and won his first match by pin over Joe Twomey of Ft. Calhoun. Wickett was pinned in his next match by Conner Kramer of Battle Creek. In his following match, Wickett won by pin over Parker Belgum of O`Neill. Grant King of Stanton won by decision over Wickett 1 to 4 in his final match.
Wrestling at 160, Collin Tinker won his first match by pin over Grant Nesemeier from Oakland-Craig. Tinker was pinned in his next match by Jamel Johnson from Madison. Tinker won his next match by decision 11 to 7 over Weston Johnson from Battle Creek. Tinker lost his last match by pin to Cauy Shaw from O`Neill.
Alec Price wrestled at 170 and received a bye his first match. Price lost his first match by decision to Cooper VonSeggern of Wisner-Pilger 9 to 11. In his net match, Price won by decision 6 to 5 over Coby Drueke of O`Neill. Then, Price pinned Brett Hull of Logan View. Price lost his final match by decision 2 to 7 to Cole Welchert of Ft. Calhoun.
Wrestling at 182, Bradon Dickey lost his first round by pin to Ronnie Albertson of Ft. Calhoun. In his next round, Dickey pinned Eric French from Logan View. Dickey lost his final match to Spencer Bode from Battle Creek by pin.
Coltin Bauer wrestled at 195. Bauer lost his first match by pin to Zach Heinke of Logan View. His following round, he received a bye. Juan Delgado of Wakefield defeated Bauer in the next round by pin.
Spencer Emerson wrestled at 285, but received a bye his first match. Emerson was pinned by Aron Reynaga from Madison in his second round. In his next match, Emerson pinned Michael Logue from Ponca. In the third round of consolation, Emerson was pinned by Connor Miller from Logan View.
The final wrestling meet is the state tournament on Thursday, February 18, through Saturday, February 20.
Freshman Girls Play in Tournament
by Emily Simmons
Playing on their home court, the freshman girls’ basketball team played in a home tournament against Wayne and Hartington Cedar Catholic on Saturday, February 13. Pierce lost to Wayne and HCC with scores of 13 to 27 and 23 to 30, respectively.
The first game the Lady Jays played was against the Wayne Blue Devils. The first quarter was played tightly as both teams wanted to have the early lead. Maggie Brahmer went to the basket for two points. Kayla Simmons drove to the hoop and was fouled. She made both of the free throws. The first quarter ended with Wayne leading 4 to 5.
In the second quarter, the drive to have the lead continued, and it was a low-scoring quarter. Maci Kroupa put up two points, and Simmons was fouled while shooting the outside three. She made all three free throws. The buzzer ended the first half, and the game was tied 9 to 9.
Coming out of halftime, Wayne was able to stop the Lady Jays on defense while also adding points to their own score. Maggie Brahmer and Simmons each scored two points for the Lady Jays, but the third quarter ended with Wayne on top 13 to 16.
During the final quarter, Wayne continued to stop the Lady Jays from scoring. The Blue Devils also added more points to the scoreboard, which led to their victory. The game came to a close with Wayne winning 13 to 27.
The next game for the Lady Jays was against the Hartington CC Trojans. In the first quarter, HCC played with strong defense. They stopped the Lady Jays from scoring any points while also contributing to their own score. The first quarter ended with Hartington CC leading 0 to 8.
During the second quarter, the Lady Jays started adding points to the scoreboard. However, it was not enough to overtake the Trojans’ lead. Maggie Brahmer and Kaylee Dvorak each scored two points. Brenna Collison and Simmons each made three points from free throws. The first half came to a close with Pierce trailing 10 to 18.
In the third quarter, the Lady Jays started out with strong defense and held HCC to four points. Brianna Aguilera went to the basket for two points. Maggie Brahmer contributed four points to the score. The third quarter ended with HCC on top 16 to 22.
The last quarter was a fight to the finish as both teams wanted the victory. Maggie Brahmer, Collison, and Simmons each scored two points for the Lady Jays, and Samantha Svendsen went to the free throw line for one point. Their effort in the last quarter wasn’t enough to overtake HCC, however, and the buzzer ended the game, and the final score was 23 to 30 HCC.
Freshman coach Katlyn Donovan said, “I was pleased with how the ladies played this weekend. Although it was not the outcome we wanted, we never gave up. We played aggressive on defense, had great communication, but some of our shots didn't fall for us.”
This was the final game for the freshman girls team. They finished with a season record of 6 and 9.
Varsity Bluejays Take Defeat to Bennington Badgers
by Annie Johnson
The varsity boys basketball team lost a close game against the Badgers as they traveled to Bennington to compete on Saturday, February 13. The boys held a close game as they lost by only three points with a final score of 63 to 66.
In the first eight minute period, Taggart Bailey started the game strong with a three-point shot. Shortly after, Austin Freeman drew a foul and was sent to the free throw line, where he sank both of his shots. Freeman proceeded to end the quarter with a shot worth two points. The opposing lineup was able to penetrate Pierce’s defense and scored 11 points in the first quarter to lead the Jays 7 to 11.
In the second quarter, Braydan Waldner and Bailey went back and forth the entire quarter with scoring. Scoring first was Waldner with the first seven consecutive points for the quarter with two point shots and a three-pointer. Bailey and Waldner continued the quarter going back to back with three-point shots, giving the team another six points. Waldner and Bailey then took to the lane and scored yet another two points for the Bluejays. Finally, Brady Starkel hit a three to end the half. Having held the Badgers to nine points in the second, the Jays went to the locker rooms leading with a score of 27 to 20.
After the half, Bailey started the third quarter off with a three against Bennington, bumping up the score for the Jays. Freeman was able to draw a foul and go to the line where he made one of his shots. Starkel continued the scoring for the Bluejays when he hit a shot from behind the arc and gave the team three more points. Waldner scored an easy shot from underneath, followed by Bailey with another two points. Freeman took to the free throw line and walked away with two points for the Jays. Bailey managed to score the final four points for the Jays in the third quarter.
In the final quarter of the game, Bailey started out at the free throw line and was able to make both of his shots. Starkel, continuing the scoring, put up a three, and Walker Raabe took a shot and was able to give an additional two points to the score for the Jays. Bailey was fouled on a three-pointer and was sent to the line, where he made three points. Mason Buckendahl scored for the Jays when he took to the lane and put up a shot worth two points. Starkel and Bailey scored again, each with two point shots before the game was over. Starkel managed to end the game with a shot from behind the arc. However, this was not enough to keep Bennington’s offense down. The Jays took a defeat against their opponents with a final score of 63 to 66.
Commenting on the overall performance of the team, head coach Mike Emory said, “The boys played extremely well for all four quarters on both ends of the floor.”
The boys’ next regular season game will be played on Friday, February 19, with an away game against Wayne.