Kearney High Girls Basketball @ A-2 District Semifinal v. Omaha Westside 2024
OMAHA – Omaha Westside was fast, efficient, and proved to be lethal in all scoring efforts Wednesday night, as the Warriors exacted revenge on Kearney in a 68-48 win in the A-2 District Semifinal to end the Bearcats season. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney entered the contest as the third overall seed, having missed a shot at being a host for the first round of districts with a regular season record of 12-11. Omaha Westside was 13-12, but had played a brutal stretch of the regular season losing seven of their final nine games. The semifinal contest was a rematch from both team’s fourth game this season, as Kearney won at home 59-54 over the Warriors at Kearney High School back on Dec. 9.
The Bearcats, however, were continuing to work on the new iteration of the team that had developed at this point in the season. Kearney did not play freshman starter Libby Province in the early December matchup, and had also regained Kiara Dutenhoffer in a reserve role. The biggest change from the first contest was the loss of Kelsey Hatcher, who remained in the Class A Top Ten points per contest at nearly 17 points per game but had not played since leaving the North Platte contest with an injury back on Jan. 2.
Westside was motivated and ready for the moment early, but had to await the early barrage by the Bearcats as all of Kearney’s first quarter points came from three-pointers. That included the opening shot by Kennidy Garner, who hit her first of four triples in the contest in the first minute of the game. The Warriors would respond early getting to the rim with inside looks from the 6-3 sophomore Sanai Foster. Although Foster was held without a point in the first eight minutes, senior reserve forward Rylie Pederson would earn the scoring off the bench with six points. Leading scorer Kara Stricklin hit two three-pointers in the opening quarter as well, with Kearney falling behind until Garner’s second three pointer connected along with Province’s first triple. Despite the hot-shooting start, the Bearcats trailed 16-9 in the first quarter.
Kearney High Girls Basketball @ A-2 District Semifinal v. Omaha Westside 2024
Heading into the second quarter, Kearney continued to find new ways to score with Province and Addie Helmbrecht working inside for their first field goals of the contest. The Bearcats would get to the free throw line as well, with Harley Straka and Garner knocking down five of nine charity stripe shots. Despite the balance scoring, Westside still outpaced Kearney 19-12 in the second quarter with four different Warriors scoring. That included Sydney Hagan – averaging 2.5 points per game – hitting nine points in the period herself. Foster would have an and-one chance and totaled five points in the quarter. Paige Mailahn did hit a three pointer, but the game began to grow out of reach as Kearney trailed 35-21 entering halftime.
The Bearcats were unable to keep up the scoring in the second half as Westside once again used balancing scoring to surge their lead further. Kearney’s attempts to get to the free throw line stalled the game, but ultimately the Bearcats could not close the gap closer than sixteen as the lead ballooned as large as twenty-one. Westside fended off late deep shots by Mailahn, Garner, and Hatcher who checked in periodically to add a shooting boost. Ultimately Kearney’s fate was sealed, falling 68-48 and wrapping their season at Omaha Westside.
Kearney ends their season in the district semifinal after two consecutive years of ended as a district runner-up in 2022 and 2023. Additionally the Bearcats wrapped with a winning record at 12-11, their third year in a row with a winning mark to conclude the season.
Every Bearcat played minutes in the contest, including all eight seniors: Josie Murray, Mailahn, Garner, Straka, Ava Sheldon, Dutenhoffer, Helmbrecht, and Avery Franzen.
Omaha Westside will take on Lincoln Southwest in the A-2 District Final on Friday night.
Kearney High Girls Basketball @ A-2 District Semifinal v. Omaha Westside 2024
UNOFFICIAL KGFW SCORING TOTALS:
Omaha Westside: Hagan (12 points), Pederson (12), Stricklin (12), Foster (12), Kimora Jenkins (9), Jayuh Freeman (5), Delaney McGrane (2), Kat Gaughen (2), Mia Urosevich (1)
Kearney: Garner (15 points), Province (11), Straka (6), Helmbrecht (6), Addie Snyder (4), Sophie Glandt (3), Mailahn (3)
