For the second straight time the Alliance St Agnes boys basketball squad ran into a powerhouse in the form of the Scottsbluff Bearcats. The Crusaders fought to the finish, but in the end it was the Cats getting the win. Scottsbluff downed the Academy 61 to 17 in a contest played Thursday in the valley. The loss ended a five game winning streak for Alliance as the Crusaders now see their record drop to 9 and 3 on the year. Just 3 players got into the score column, led by Cisco Cody who had 12 points. The Bluffs were also the victors in the late matchup. Alliance fell in the B game 48 to 11. Luke Jelinek scored 3 points for the Crusaders.
Similar to their first meeting when the Bearcats defeated the Academy 65 to 21, Scottsbluff was strong from the tip. The hosts raced to an early lead in the first period. Scottsbluff scored 12 first quarter tallies to lead by 7 after one period of action. Alliance would get a Cody hoop and a triple by Tripp Johnson to stay close. The second was a big one for the Bluffs. Scottsbluff would score 20 in the quarter while holding SA to just 3. A 2 pointer by Crusader Grayson Dibrito and a free throw by Cody was all the points for Alliance. Heading to halftime, the Academy was behind 32 to 8.
Momentum stayed with the Cats in period #3. The Bluffs put 19 more points on the board to increase their advantage. Cody had 2 two pointers in the quarter for the Crusaders. Scottsbluff led 51 to 12 after 3 quarters of play. In the final 6 minutes of play, SB continued to control the action. The Bearcats added 10 more tallies to their total while Alliance would get a 2 and a 3 from Cody. Final Scottsbluff 61 Alliance 17
ALL 5 3 4 5 17
SB 12 20 19 10 61
Scoring for Alliance. Cody 12. Johnson 3. Dibrito 2
St Agnes also had their hands full in the late game. The Bluffs jumped to a 17 to 2 lead and cruised to a 48 to 7 win. A bucket by Crusader Braden Myers was all the scoring for the Academy in the first. Period 2 had the hosts score 9 while St Agnes got 3 tallies from Luke Jelinek. Going to half, SB led 26 to 5.
Alliance was shutout in the third while the Cats netted 11 points. After 3 quarters of action, the Academy trailed 37 to 5. Crusader Enzo Kappius ended the scoring drought for Alliance in the fourth with a basket and the contest closed with a Bluffs win 48 to 7
ALL 2 3 0 2 7
SB 17 9 11 11 48
Scoring for the Academy. Luke Jelinek 3. Myers 2. Kappius 2
Alliance will play in a tournament in Scottsbluff starting Monday.