By scoring over 20 points in all four quarters, the Scottsbluff boy’s basketball team downed Alliance 94 to 55 in action on Friday. AHS dropped to 9 and 10 with the loss. The contest was played in Scottsbluff. Alliance fell behind by double digits early and was never able to recover. The hosts used 15 three pointers in posting the victory. Leading the offense for the visiting Bulldogs was Espen Lanik who tallied 14 points while fellow senior Trevor Zurn added 13. The Bearcats led by 25 at halftime and controlled the play in the second half. In the JV contest, the Bulldogs got the win. Alliance used some big plays down the stretch and defeated the Cats 65 to 57.
Scottsbluff used a solid start in building a nice lead. The Bearcats scored the the game’s first six tallies to go up 6 to 0. A bucket by Bulldog Braeden Clarke stopped the spree but the hosts responded with 11 straight to take a 17 to 2 lead. Alliance answered back with a 8 to 3 run to sliced their deficit to 10. Three pointers by Lanik and Riley Best plus a Best deuce make the score 20 to 10. The first closed with a Bluffs 2 and the Cats out in front 22 to 10.
Red hot shooting behind the arc by the hosts helped SHS extend its advantage. Scottsbluff hit 5 treys in the quarter. Overall, the Bluffs outscored the Dogs 25 to 12 in increasing its margin. After a 2 by the Bearcats, a three by Lanik made it 24 to 13. Alliance would then get a 3 and a 2 by Lexton Salcido to stay in the game. Unfortunately, the points kept pulling up for the hosts. Six consecutive tallies by SB made it 39 to 18 with 3 minutes remaining. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs got baskets by Clarke and Zurn but a pair of treys by the Cats kept the Dogs down. Heading to the half, the Bluffs were up 47 to 22.
Points were plentiful in the third with SB scoring 26 and AHS tossing in 22. The quarter began with the Dogs going on a 7 to 2 spree thanks to points by Lanik, Devonte Taylor, and Clarke. Another hoop by Taylor ensued. An 8 to 0 spurt followed by the hosts that put the Bulldogs behind by 28. At the 4 minute mark, AHS got a bucket by Nason Thompson and 4 Lanik tallies in continuing their fight. More success behind the 3 point line by the Bearcats ended the quarter. The Bluffs hit 3 three pointers in the final moments to extend their margin. Alliance would get a deuce by Lanik and 5 Zurn tallies to end their 3rd period scoring. Scottsbluff led 73 to 44 after three quarters of action.
Scoring again was no problem for Scottsbluff in the fourth as the Cats tallied 21. A pair of threes plus an old fashion three point play is how the finale began for the Bluffs. It gave the hosts a 38 point cushion. Two free throws by Zurn along with a 2 by the senior followed for the Bulldogs. Alliance’s final points came on a free throw by Jaden Guerra and twos by Zurn, Taylor, and Tanner Salcido.
Final Scottsbluff 94 Alliance 55
ALL 10 12 22 11 55
SB 22 25 26 21 94
Scoring for Alliance Lanik 14 Clarke 7 Taylor 6 Thompson 2 Lexton Salcido 5 Best 5 Tanner Salcido 2 Guerra 1 Zurn 13
Alliance will host McCook on Saturday