Red Raiders Hand Kimball Boys Their First Loss

Things can change suddenly in basketball.

Midway through the third quarter on Saturday evening it looked as if the Longhorns were on their way to win number eight. Austin Pile hit a free throw to extend an 8-2 run.

Kimball was on top 32-25 and on a hot streak, having converted 5 of 8 from two-point range in the second period alone.

“I thought it would be close,” Mike Daum admitted. “But at that point I thought we could keep the lead.”

Sidney’s Cody Frerichs picked at the Longhorns advantage with a seemingly innocuous driving lay up. Kimball lost control on their next possession and Lane Harvey turned the miscue into a three. A few more turnovers led to a dozen more quick points by the Red Raiders.

When the buzzer sounded--just after a last second heave by Harvey, tacking on another two--it was Sidney with a firm 44-34 grip on the game.

The visitors would go on to hand Kimball their first loss, 63-44.

“There was a three minute span,” head coach Bruce Tjosvold explained. “We turned the ball over and missed a couple of shots while they hit theirs.”

The Longhorns hit 13 of 27 from the floor up to that point. From that moment until the end of the game, Kimball chilled to an icy 6 for 22.

Sidney outscored the Longhorns 44-24 in the second half.

“They came out shooting,” Jake Reader reported. “We started playing their game.”

Tjosvold’s plan had been to pound the ball inside, making full use of Kimball’s height advantage. After yielding a few points following the opening tip, the strategy began to pay dividends.

Reader hit back to back turn arounds in the paint. Daum followed the a baby hook over two defenders and a soft jumper from the key.

It was 12-10 in favor of the visitors after one. But Kimball asserted themselves in the second. Down 16-14, Daum connected on a fade away and Caleb Reuter converted a nifty feed from Jordon Berger.

Just before halftime, Zach Rockhold-O’Brien drained a long two-pointer and Reuter followed, powering through the lane for an impressive lay up.

The Longhorns edged out to a 22-19 lead at the break and opened the third period with another Daum fade.

Sidney held on with a reverse by Logan Lewis and short jumper from Casey Mabey in response. But Reader sank two from the line and Reuter employed a spin move--and a fearless attitude--to fight through the Red Raiders’ back line for a lay up.

By the time Daum hit his first three pointer of the night, Kimball was out front 31-25.

“Caleb set a good screen,” Daum said of the trey. “He allowed me to get the shot.”

Seconds later, Berger fired a full court pass to Pile, breaking into the paint. Sidney’s Paxton Ehler fouled the Kimball guard, who netted one of two from the stripe, completing the ill-fated 8-2 run.

Things then fell apart.

“We were playing hard and strong, but they hit that streak,” Daum observed. “We’re going to use this loss as motivation.”