CNT Sports // Basketball // NRG CN
CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE BRACKETS ANNOUNCED:
The 2024 Centennial Conference Basketball tournament brackets were released earlier today, featuring several area teams competing for the conference title.
On the girls side, Grand Island Central Catholic earned the top overall seed with Hastings St. Cecilia as the fifth and Kearney Catholic at the sixth position. St. Cecilia will hit the road to Archbishop-Bergan on Tuesday, Jan. 23 while the Stars travel to Bishop-Neumann.
For the boys, Bishop Neumann claimed the No. 1 seed and will await the winner of Kearney Catholic and Grand Island Central Catholic on their Monday, Jan. 22 matchup at the Stars. Hastings St. Cecilia is the sixth seed and hosts Lincoln Christian on Jan. 22.
Full brackets can be found at KGFW and Central Nebraska Today.
RPAC, SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE BRACKETS RELEASED:
Conference basketball action for girls and boys basketball teams across the area is beginning to take shape with the release of several brackets on Monday.
The Republican Plains Activity Conference and Southwest Conference each released their respective brackets on Monday, with action beginning on Saturday, Jan. 20 for the RPAC while the Southwest starts on Monday, Jan. 22.
Full brackets for each tournament can be found at KGFW and Central Nebraska Today.
KEARNEY BASKETBALL FINALLY BACK IN ACTION AFTER POSTPONEMENTS:
Despite several snow days, postponements, and cancellations, the Kearney basketball teams are finally back in action returning home to host Lincoln East tonight in girls and boys action.
The girls aim to keep riding their momentum out of the first week of January, taking on the Spartans entering at 4-5 on the year. Lincoln East’s boys match that same record and travel to face the 7-3 Bearcats who look to make it their third win in a row.
Tip-off for the doubleheader begins at 5:30 PM tonight from Kearney High School. KGFW’s pregame starts at 5:15 PM with Austin Jacobsen on the call. Listen to Kearney Basketball on 1340 KGFW, 96.1 FM, on the free KGFW mobile app, and online at KGFW.com.
REGGIE THOMAS NAMED TO TOP 100 WATCH LIST:
Hastings College men’s basketball sophomore Reggie Thomas has been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 watch list, as announced on Monday by Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee.
Thomas leads the Broncos in points per game with 23.7, rebounds with 6.3, and assists per game with 4.5, and is first in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in scoring. Thomas leads the Bronco offense that averages 76.5 points per game and also leads the Broncos in minutes played averaging 36.8.
The Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball.
On February 15th, the list will be reduced to the Top 50 players.
HUSKERS POTTS EARNS FIFTH WEEKLY CONFERENCE HONOR:
Nebraska’s Natalie Potts captured her fifth Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honor of the 2023-24 season.
Potts, a 6-2 forward from O’Fallon, Mo., averaged 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals as Nebraska split a pair of Big Ten games last week. On Sunday at Minnesota, Potts produced her 11th double-figure scoring effort of the season with 10 points and six rebounds.
On the season, Potts leads all Big Ten freshmen in both scoring (11.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg), including 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in Big Ten play.
Markowski and Potts will be back in action at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Wednesday night when Nebraska plays host to Michigan.
NEBRASKA PARTS WITH TWO FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFFERS:
The Nebraska Cornhuskers and two members of the support staff, Omar Hales and C.J. Cavazos, have parted ways, according to a report by the Omaha World-Herald. They are no longer listed on the staff directory and are referred to in the past tense by Nebraska online.
Omar Hales was the program’s player personnel for high schools while C.J. Cavazos was the program’s director of football relations.
Hales has been with Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule at several previous stops, including Temple, Baylor, and the Carolina Panthers.
For his part, Cavazos’ job was to oversee the walk-on program and was a contact for high school coaches. He has also previously run his own recruiting company and has ties to the state of Texas.
BELICHICK INTERVIEW FOR FALCONS OPENING:
The Atlanta Falcons announced Monday night they have interviewed the 71-year-old Bill Belichick, who left the Patriots on Thursday after 24 seasons and a record six Super Bowl championships.
The fifth of those Super Bowls came nearly seven years ago against the Falcons in a game Atlanta led 28-3 in the third quarter before Tom Brady rallied the Patriots to a 34-28 overtime victory.
The Falcons are seeking a successor to Arthur Smith, who was fired shortly after the conclusion of his third straight 7-10 season. Belichick has 333 victories, second all-time to Hall of Famer Don Shula’s 347. He led the Patriots to 17 division titles.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE WILDCARD PLAYOFF SCORES:
MONDAY RESULTS:
AFC: No. 2 Buffalo Bills 31-17 No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC: No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32-9 No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF SCHEDULES:
SATURDAY SCHEDULE:
AFC: No. 4 Houston Texans @ No. 1 Baltimore Ravens – 3:30 PM
NFC: No. 7 Green Bay Packers @ No. 1 San Francisco 49ers – 7 PM
SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
NFC: No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ No. 2 Detroit Lions – 2 PM
AFC: No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs @ No. 2 Buffalo Bills – 5:30 PM
Buffalo County Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN BUFFALO COUNTY SPORTS:
MONDAY:
High School Sports:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Girls Wrestling: @ HAC Wrestling Championships @ Norfolk High School – CANCELED
- Boys Wrestling: @ HAC Wrestling Championships @ Norfolk High School – CANCELED
- PLEASANTON:.
- Girls Wrestling: @ Battle Creek – No score reported
TUESDAY:
High School Sports:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Bowling: v. Arapahoe @ Big Apple Fun Center – 4 PM
- Girls Basketball: v. Lincoln East @ Kearney High School – 5:30 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 5:15 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. Lincoln East @ Kearney High School – 7:15 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 7 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Girls Basketball: @ Holdrege – 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Holdrege – 7:30 PM
- AMHERST:
- Girls Basketball: @ Cozad – 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Cozad – 7:30 PM
- PLEASANTON:.
- Girls Basketball: @ Ansley-Litchfield – 6 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Ansley-Litchfield – 7:30 PM
- GIBBON:
- N/a
- SHELTON:
- Girls Basketball: @ Giltner – 6 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Giltner – 7:30 PM
- ELM CREEK:
- N/a
- RAVENNA:
- Girls Basketball: @ Sutton – 6 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Sutton – 7:45 PM
College Athletics:
- UNK LOPERS:
- N/a
- HASTINGS COLLEGE BRONCOS:
- Women’s Wrestling: v. Doane – 7 PM
- Men’s Wrestling: v. Doane – 7 PM
- NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS:
- Women’s Tennis: @ UC Riverside – 3 PM
KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney Girls Basketball v. Lincoln East (5:15 PM – 7:15 PM)
- Kearney Boys Basketball v. Lincoln East (7:15 PM – 9:15 PM)
