A basket with under one minute to play was just enough for Scottsbluff to defeat St. Agnes 26 to 25 in junior high boy’s action played Saturday at the Holy Rosary Parish Center. In a see saw affair the hometown Crusaders led most on the game until the Bearcats scored a late bucket and survived a late shot by St. Agnes. Alliance now sees its record stand at 3 and 2 for the season. St. Agnes did win the JV game, downing the Cats 29 to 21.
The first four points of the battle belonged to the Crusaders thanks to hoops by Jackson Devlin and Jay Shelmadine. Bluffs answered with a goal but a free throw by Alliance’s Caysen Robertson put the Crusaders up 5 to 2. The next 3 scores went to the Bluffs who tied the score at 5. A basket by Robertson at the midway point gave SA a 7 to 5. Crusader Tanner Salcido then gave the hosts a 4 point lead with a 2 pointer. The period closed with a Bearcat basket and another 2 by Devlin. After the first quarter of action St. Agnes led 11 to 7. Both team’s defenses were stout in the second. Alliance would only get another Devlin goal in the quarter while the Cats made a 3 and had an old fashion three point play. The teams went to half with the score knotted at 13.
Bluffs would win the third, outscoring St. Agnes 6 to 5. Robertson scored early but the Bluffs countered with a trey that put them ahead 16 to 15. A three ball by Alliance’s Tripp Johnson gave the Crusaders a 2 point margin midway through the period. Right at the end of the quarter the Bluffs had a free throw and a 2 pointer which gave the guests a one point lead. Heading to the finale SB led 19 to 18. A mini run by Alliance of 4 to 0 gave the Crusaders a lead at 23 to 19. During that stretch SA got a Robertson free throw and another three pointer by Johnson. A 2 pointer by the Bluffs followed as the Alliance lead was cut to two. Salcido would then make one from the free throw but the Bearcats answered with a trey of their own to tie the contest at 24. The Bluffs then fouled Devlin, who would make one from the line that gave the Crusaders a one point lead at 25 to 24. Scottsbluff would then win the game with a 2 point bucket and an Alliance miss at the buzzer. Final Bluffs 26 Alliance St. Agnes 25
Bluffs 7 6 6 7 26
SA 11 2 5 7 25
Five Crusaders got into the scoring column led by 7 points apiece by Devlin and Robertson. Tallying 6 was Johnson while Salcido added 3 and Shelmadine was good for 2
St. Agnes would lead the entire time in the JV game. A three pointer by Alliance’s Danny Jelinek began the scoring and it was followed by 2 free throws by Dixon Bair. Jelinek then scored a 2 point goal as the St. Agnes lead grew to 7 to 0. 8th grader Trey Carter then helped the cause with a bucket that pushed the Bluff deficit to 9 to 0. The quarter closed with a Bearcat basket and Alliance ahead 9 to 2. Six straight by the guests is how the second began as the Cats drew closer at 9 to 8. The rest of the half saw SA go on a run of their own. Alliance tacked on 9 straight points to surge ahead 18 to 8 at halftime. A free throw by Jett Childers was followed by another goal by Bair, 4 straight points by Grayson Dibrito, and another 2 pointer by Bair.
Both teams would then score 5 points each in the third. The Cats put up the first 3 points before a Tatum Devlin basket stopped the run and made the score 20 to 11 in favor of St. Agnes. The period closed with a Bearcat bucket and a three by Bair. Heading to the final quarter the Alliance lead was 23 to 13. Six quick Crusader points early in the period put the contest away. A Childers lay up for Alliance was then followed by points by Carter and Bair which put the score at 29 to 13. The game concluded with 6 straight by the Bluffs and Alliance winning 29 to 21.
Bluffs 2 6 5 8 21
SA 9 9 5 6 29
The top scorer for Alliance was Bair, who tallied 11 while Jelinek ended with 5. Both Carter and Dibrito added 4 apiece with Childers scoring 3 and Tatum Devlin netting 2.