KEARNEY – The Kearney Bearcats and Lincoln Southeast Knights battled for their sixth win on the season and in a thrilling 63-59 finish, it was the home team that closed out the contest for the victory. Click here to listen to the broadcast replay.
Kearney entered the contest having won at Garden City, KS on Monday night, then had their Thursday night showdown at North Platte postponed due to winter weather. The Bearcats entered at 5-4 on the season looking to start a winning streak to build momentum further into January.
Lincoln Southeast started with a brutal beginning of their schedule, facing some of Class A’s toughest teams including Bellevue West and Omaha Westside. The Knights replaced nearly their entire roster from the previous season, including their top 8 returning scorers from the previous season.
The game tipped off with an emphatic start for Kearney, as Will Vanderbeek won the opening tip then proceeded to sneak past the defense for an easy dunk after a pass from an outlet off the tip. Kearney used Vanderbeek’s athleticism and confidence – as he gobbled up 12 points in the first quarter – to build momentum in the opening moments. Lincoln Southeast would not go away easy however, as triples rained down from the Knights from freshman BJ Bradford and electric sophomore Taye Moore. Moore knocked down two three pointers, while Bangot Dak hit his own triple following Vanderbeek’s dunk. In a back-and-forth first quarter, the game was tied at 19.
Central NE Press Pass / Photo by Corbey Dorsey
The second quarter went the way of the Knights. Outpacing Kearney 13-9, Lincoln Southeast patiently found outside shots again as three players hit a triple. Moore added another 5 in the quarter, but it was the stifling defense from LSE leading to the halftime advantage. Vanderbeek added another four, but only three other Bearcats could add 5 points total as the Bearcats trilaed 32-28 heading into the second half.
Central NE Press Pass / Photo by Corbey Dorsey
The third quarter was owned by Kearney, as the inverse of the second quarter occurred. The Bearcats saw Jack Mundorf kick off the fun with a triple of his own – his second on the day – while Jack Dahlgren began to take over. Dahlgren hit a three pointer and followed up angling shots off the glass and had 7 points in the third. Kearney was not all smiles however, as Vanderbeek would go down with an injury leaving a noticeable gap in the middle of the Bearcat defense. In his stead, Head Coach for the Bearcats Drake Beranek elected to place freshman Ben Johnson into the defensive rotation. Johnson played feverish defense the rest of the evening, ending with several deflections and heads up play. Kearney led 44-40 entering the fourth quarter.
Kearney’s lead would enter double digits midway through the fourth quarter, but Lincoln Southeast would never get back within reach as the Bearcats staved off each attack by the Knights. If Southeast would score, Kearney would answer back. In the turn-on-a-dime affair, both teams ended with 19 points in the fourth quarter as 11 different players picked up points in the final quarter for both sides. The difference in the contest was Kearney’s ability to connect on their free throws, along with a key possession change due to a technical foul from the Lincoln Southeast bench.
The Bearcats would stop the Knights with a block near the rim by Johnson on a LSE drive to the basket. Kearney would grab the rebound, and proceed to attack the lane on the opposite side with the freshman. A timeout was called by Kearney, but during the timeout motion, LSE’s bench was called for the technical due to an ensuing argument with the officials. Jack Mundorf sunk both free throws, and the following offensive possession found Parker Wise with a score to give Kearney a 6 point advantage with less than two minutes to go. The Bearcats would hold that lead to win 63-59.
Kearney improves to 6-4 on the season and faces undefeated Lincoln Northeast next Friday. The Bearcats had contributions from Vanderbeek with 16 points, 14 by Dahlgren, Mundorf added 12, Miller added 9, Wise tallied 6, Lee added 4 and Johnson contributed 2.
Listen to Head Coach Drake Beranek’s postgame comments on the win against Lincoln Southeast: