After winning 5 games in a row the Alliance St. Agnes junior high girl’s basketball team ran into a buzz saw in the Bearcats from Scottsbluff. The Crusaders played host to the Cats Tuesday and fell 42 to 29. St. Agnes saw their winning streak stopped at 5 games in a row and dropped to 6 and 2 for the year. In the late game the Crusader did garner a victory, downing the Bluffs red squad 33 to 9 in JV action. The Junior Varsity team improved to 4 and 2 for the season.
St. Agnes stayed close in the opening moments in the varsity matchup. The Crusaders got 4 early points by seventh grader Reese Armstrong to keep things interesting. A basket by Alliance’s Kaitlyn Shannon ended the Crusader scoring in the first but hot shooting by the Bluffs helped them take a 13 to 6 lead after the opening quarter. Scoring for the Crusaders was tough in the second as the Alliance could muster just two by Shannon in the period. Meanwhile Scottsbluff continued their solid play and took a 22 to 8 lead at half.
Play was even in the third. Six more points by Armstrong plus free throws by Shannon, Hannah Benzel, and Aubree Shrewsbury kept St. Agnes in striking range. The Bearcats would score 11 more points in the period and the Bluffs would lead 33 to 17 heading to the fourth. St. Agnes would outscore the guests in the final quarter 12 to 9 but their deficit would stay at double figures. Ten fourth period points by Armstrong led the Crusader offense while Shannon added 2 but it wasn’t enough. Final Scottsbluff 42 Alliance 29
SB 13 9 11 9 42
SA 6 2 9 12 29
Four St. Agnes players found the scoring column led by Armstrong who tallied 20 points while Shannon finished with 7 Rounding out the scoring with one each was Benzel and Shrewsbury.
In the finale it the Scottsbluff starting out fast scoring the game’s first 4 points. But the JV Crusader team tightened up its defense and would allow only 5 more points after that. Four first period points by Alliance’s Amora Gonzalez led the Crusaders who slowly pulled away. A basket by Crusader Delaney Jelinek plus a free throw by Peyton Baker ended the scoring in the quarter as Alliance surged ahead 7 to 4. Scottsbluff would go scoreless in the second while Alliance increased its lead to 9. Dawsyn Higgins scored 4 points in the quarter while a hoop by Baker gave St. Agnes the lead at half 13 to 4.
Four points apiece by Baker, Higgins, and Gonzalez in the third put the contest away. The Bluffs were held to just a free throw and the ball game went into the fourth with St. Agnes ahead 25 to 5. Four more points by Gonzalez kept the Cats down in the final six minutes. Baskets by Higgins and Baker ended the scoring with St. Agnes victorious 33 to 9
SB 4 0 1 4 9
SA 7 6 12 8 33
Gonzalez was Alliance’s top scorer in the game netting 12 points. Also in double figurers was Higgins who added 10 while Baker finished with 9 points. Jelinek rounded out the scoring with 2.