Class B: Pius X, Elkhorn, Beatrice, Gretna moving on
Class B tournament results.
Lincoln Pius X 52, Alliance 49: Lincoln Pius X was in cruise control with a 13-point lead and less than four minutes left in the game Thursday.
But somebody slipped the gear into park and Pius X had to scramble to hang on for a 52-49 victory against Alliance in the first round of the Boys State Basketball Tournament at the Devaney Sports Center.
Pius X coach Ray Forycki clamped his lips tight when asked his impression on the statistic that showed his team was 0-for-3 from the field in the fourth quarter.
“We got a little hesitant,” he said. “We didn’t go into a delay game. We asked for good shots. But sometimes you say something and it comes out something else. It was pretty stressful.”
The Thunderbolts took a 47-34 lead with 3:45 left in the game. But four consecutive turnovers and back-to-back three-point baskets by Michael Peltz keyed a 10-point Alliance run.
Alliance center Zachary Boness then scored on a three-point play. He scored again with 44 seconds left on a spinning move to the basket to cut the Pius X lead to 50-49.
Brandon Schlautman hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left for the Thunderbolts. Alliance then set up a last-second three-point attempt by Michael Peltz.
But Pius X defender Joe Pleskac almost smothered Peltz and the left-handed three-pointer was wide of the basket at the buzzer.
“They had all kinds of quick guards and they could all shoot the three,” Pleskac said. “I had a hand in his face, but he took a step back, then kind of leaned forward and I know he was way off-balance. I was sure it would miss, but I turned around to make sure it missed.”
The shot was close to the plan for the Bulldogs, said Alliance coach Michael Baker.
“We made it so Pius was going to have to guard everybody close and hopefully we’d get a quick opening,” he said.
Despite the lack of field goals in the fourth quarter, Pius X kept its lead by hitting 11 of 12 free throws in the period and 17 of 20 for the game. Alliance was 4-for-7 from the free-throw line for the game.
“We told the kids we’d have to be mentally and physically tough to play anybody in the tournament,” Forycki said. “We played some very good defense. It would have been nice to have had a more comfortable lead. But you know, these are the games that give you memories. It was fun and they’ll remember this one for a long time.” -- Ken Hambleton
Elkhorn 44, Omaha Skutt 42: Omaha Skutt’s shot at the buzzer fell harmlessly away and No. 6 Elkhorn grabbed the biggest upset of the first round of the Class B boys state tournament with a 44-42 victory Thursday.
The two-time defending champion and top-ranked SkyHawks led 42-36 with 1:23 remaining. Elkhorn’s Josh Raymond then hit a three-pointer with 1:10 left and teammate Jake Ritzdorf scored on an assist from Dan Spittler with 55 seconds to play.
Ritzdorf, the son of Ken Ritzdorf, who helped Howells to a number of state titles, scored again on a hook-like push shot from the baseline with 31 seconds left and added a free throw with five seconds remaining.
“I thought there’s no way that last shot Ritz took was going in,” said Elkhorn guard Jared Brill. “I was thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But it couldn’t have been a better shot. Right?”
Ritzdorf helped finish a torrid shooting effort in the second half. Elkhorn counted on 12 of 16 shots from the field in the final two quarters. Meanwhile, Skutt (20-6) hit just 33 percent from the field for the game and just 21 percent in the fourth quarter.
“We needed to be ready for a dogfight on defense and rebounding and hope we had enough offense,” said Elkhorn coach Alex Bahe. “We like scoring in the 60s, but Skutt wasn’t going to allow that. They are so good and play so hard.”
Skutt coach Jon Burt said the three-pointer by Raymond was pivotal.
“He misses that one and we have a six-point lead with a minute or so left,” he said. “But it went in, we missed some chances and Ritzdorf, well you know how that family plays at state tournaments, came up big for them.
“We were not sure with our ball-handling and that made a big difference ,” he said. “We still had a last shot that was an inch off. We’ve had a few of those that went in, too.” -- Ken Hambleton
Beatrice 48, York 40
Beatrice jumped in front and almost smothered any chance of a York upset Thursday in a Class B boys state tournament first-round game at Pershing Center.
“They’re a little like the old Husker football team,” said York coach Dan Malleck. “They get the lead and put you to death with possessions.”
Beatrice ballooned a seven-point halftime lead with a three-point basket by Jesse Genrich and a layup off a steal by Trevor Menke, then floated to the victory.
The Orangemen, state runners-up last year, took control early with a pressing defense that forced nine turnovers in the first half. Four of those turnovers led to Beatrice points.
“We didn’t play great defense because we gave up too many easy baskets in the first half. But we shot decent, selective and we got the nice start to the second half to go up by 12,” said Beatrice coach Jim Weeks. “We stopped the dribble-drive and the open looks for (John) Ritzdorf in the second half and we covered the baseline to out of bounds well.”
York closed to 33-26 in the third quarter on a basket by Chris Gruber and a pair of free throws by Zac Groenke. But Menke ended the quarter with a three-pointer and Mike Fox scored on a tip-in to open the fourth quarter to stretch the lead again.
“We’ve been through this and we’ve got a lot of state tournament minutes with Fox, Menke and Zach Ruiz,” Weeks said. “This game became one of those battles of attrition — the first team to break the other team wins.”
Fox, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, said winning the first game takes a lot of pressure off the Orangemen.
“We’ve all got nerves and getting out of the first game with a win is huge,” he said. “We know the games get tougher, but I think we won’t be so nervous.”
Gretna 44, McCook 43 OT
Bryce Arp knew he was going to make both free throws with no time left in overtime.
Well, one was enough for Gretna to nip McCook in the final first-round game Thursday at Pershing Center.
“I wanted to shoot those free throws because I knew I’d make them,” said Arp, who was fouled as time ran out when McCook missed two shots at the end of overtime. “Besides, I wanted to get the game over.”
Arp hit just 3 of 7 free throws for the game.
“He’s not a bad free throw shooter,” said Gretna coach Brad Feeken. “Then he missed the first one. I was saying, ‘Please go in. Please go in.’”
McCook tried to set up the game winner in the final 2:08 of overtime. Finally, with a few seconds remaining, Cody Gaston missed a shot from the left corner, but teammate Connor Larson rebounded and shot again. He missed. Arp rebounded and was fouled just before the buzzer.
Arp scored on a drive and added a free throw with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 39.
McCook ran the clock down for a shot by Gaston at the buzzer. Gaston’s shot just missed forcing the overtime.
“The shots just didn’t fall for us ... not once but twice,” said McCook coach Tim Garcia. “We thought we could win that way both times. We’ve got nothing to complain about.”
Gaston led McCook with 17 points. Trent Miller scored 20 and Arp finished with 15 for No. 5 Gretna.
“We couldn’t stop Gaston and we had trouble getting our offense going in the third quarter,” said Feeken. “A lot of our problems were due to McCook. They played a great game.”
McCook trailed throughout the first half but tied the game on a three-pointer by Gaston with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
Lincoln Pius X 52, Alliance 49: Lincoln Pius X was in cruise control with a 13-point lead and less than four minutes left in the game Thursday.
But somebody slipped the gear into park and Pius X had to scramble to hang on for a 52-49 victory against Alliance in the first round of the Boys State Basketball Tournament at the Devaney Sports Center.
Pius X coach Ray Forycki clamped his lips tight when asked his impression on the statistic that showed his team was 0-for-3 from the field in the fourth quarter.
“We got a little hesitant,” he said. “We didn’t go into a delay game. We asked for good shots. But sometimes you say something and it comes out something else. It was pretty stressful.”
The Thunderbolts took a 47-34 lead with 3:45 left in the game. But four consecutive turnovers and back-to-back three-point baskets by Michael Peltz keyed a 10-point Alliance run.
Alliance center Zachary Boness then scored on a three-point play. He scored again with 44 seconds left on a spinning move to the basket to cut the Pius X lead to 50-49.
Brandon Schlautman hit a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left for the Thunderbolts. Alliance then set up a last-second three-point attempt by Michael Peltz.
But Pius X defender Joe Pleskac almost smothered Peltz and the left-handed three-pointer was wide of the basket at the buzzer.
“They had all kinds of quick guards and they could all shoot the three,” Pleskac said. “I had a hand in his face, but he took a step back, then kind of leaned forward and I know he was way off-balance. I was sure it would miss, but I turned around to make sure it missed.”
The shot was close to the plan for the Bulldogs, said Alliance coach Michael Baker.
“We made it so Pius was going to have to guard everybody close and hopefully we’d get a quick opening,” he said.
Despite the lack of field goals in the fourth quarter, Pius X kept its lead by hitting 11 of 12 free throws in the period and 17 of 20 for the game. Alliance was 4-for-7 from the free-throw line for the game.
“We told the kids we’d have to be mentally and physically tough to play anybody in the tournament,” Forycki said. “We played some very good defense. It would have been nice to have had a more comfortable lead. But you know, these are the games that give you memories. It was fun and they’ll remember this one for a long time.” -- Ken Hambleton
Elkhorn 44, Omaha Skutt 42: Omaha Skutt’s shot at the buzzer fell harmlessly away and No. 6 Elkhorn grabbed the biggest upset of the first round of the Class B boys state tournament with a 44-42 victory Thursday.
The two-time defending champion and top-ranked SkyHawks led 42-36 with 1:23 remaining. Elkhorn’s Josh Raymond then hit a three-pointer with 1:10 left and teammate Jake Ritzdorf scored on an assist from Dan Spittler with 55 seconds to play.
Ritzdorf, the son of Ken Ritzdorf, who helped Howells to a number of state titles, scored again on a hook-like push shot from the baseline with 31 seconds left and added a free throw with five seconds remaining.
“I thought there’s no way that last shot Ritz took was going in,” said Elkhorn guard Jared Brill. “I was thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But it couldn’t have been a better shot. Right?”
Ritzdorf helped finish a torrid shooting effort in the second half. Elkhorn counted on 12 of 16 shots from the field in the final two quarters. Meanwhile, Skutt (20-6) hit just 33 percent from the field for the game and just 21 percent in the fourth quarter.
“We needed to be ready for a dogfight on defense and rebounding and hope we had enough offense,” said Elkhorn coach Alex Bahe. “We like scoring in the 60s, but Skutt wasn’t going to allow that. They are so good and play so hard.”
Skutt coach Jon Burt said the three-pointer by Raymond was pivotal.
“He misses that one and we have a six-point lead with a minute or so left,” he said. “But it went in, we missed some chances and Ritzdorf, well you know how that family plays at state tournaments, came up big for them.
“We were not sure with our ball-handling and that made a big difference ,” he said. “We still had a last shot that was an inch off. We’ve had a few of those that went in, too.” -- Ken Hambleton
Beatrice 48, York 40
Beatrice jumped in front and almost smothered any chance of a York upset Thursday in a Class B boys state tournament first-round game at Pershing Center.
“They’re a little like the old Husker football team,” said York coach Dan Malleck. “They get the lead and put you to death with possessions.”
Beatrice ballooned a seven-point halftime lead with a three-point basket by Jesse Genrich and a layup off a steal by Trevor Menke, then floated to the victory.
The Orangemen, state runners-up last year, took control early with a pressing defense that forced nine turnovers in the first half. Four of those turnovers led to Beatrice points.
“We didn’t play great defense because we gave up too many easy baskets in the first half. But we shot decent, selective and we got the nice start to the second half to go up by 12,” said Beatrice coach Jim Weeks. “We stopped the dribble-drive and the open looks for (John) Ritzdorf in the second half and we covered the baseline to out of bounds well.”
York closed to 33-26 in the third quarter on a basket by Chris Gruber and a pair of free throws by Zac Groenke. But Menke ended the quarter with a three-pointer and Mike Fox scored on a tip-in to open the fourth quarter to stretch the lead again.
“We’ve been through this and we’ve got a lot of state tournament minutes with Fox, Menke and Zach Ruiz,” Weeks said. “This game became one of those battles of attrition — the first team to break the other team wins.”
Fox, who scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds, said winning the first game takes a lot of pressure off the Orangemen.
“We’ve all got nerves and getting out of the first game with a win is huge,” he said. “We know the games get tougher, but I think we won’t be so nervous.”
Gretna 44, McCook 43 OT
Bryce Arp knew he was going to make both free throws with no time left in overtime.
Well, one was enough for Gretna to nip McCook in the final first-round game Thursday at Pershing Center.
“I wanted to shoot those free throws because I knew I’d make them,” said Arp, who was fouled as time ran out when McCook missed two shots at the end of overtime. “Besides, I wanted to get the game over.”
Arp hit just 3 of 7 free throws for the game.
“He’s not a bad free throw shooter,” said Gretna coach Brad Feeken. “Then he missed the first one. I was saying, ‘Please go in. Please go in.’”
McCook tried to set up the game winner in the final 2:08 of overtime. Finally, with a few seconds remaining, Cody Gaston missed a shot from the left corner, but teammate Connor Larson rebounded and shot again. He missed. Arp rebounded and was fouled just before the buzzer.
Arp scored on a drive and added a free throw with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 39.
McCook ran the clock down for a shot by Gaston at the buzzer. Gaston’s shot just missed forcing the overtime.
“The shots just didn’t fall for us ... not once but twice,” said McCook coach Tim Garcia. “We thought we could win that way both times. We’ve got nothing to complain about.”
Gaston led McCook with 17 points. Trent Miller scored 20 and Arp finished with 15 for No. 5 Gretna.
“We couldn’t stop Gaston and we had trouble getting our offense going in the third quarter,” said Feeken. “A lot of our problems were due to McCook. They played a great game.”
McCook trailed throughout the first half but tied the game on a three-pointer by Gaston with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
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