Wauneta-Palisade’s season ends in subs

    The Wauneta-Palisade boys basketball team opened its season with a buzzer beating win over Wallace Dec. 1.
    The Broncos couldn’t duplicate that magic last Tuesday and saw their season come to an end with a 46-62 loss to the D2-9 subdistrict’s top-seeded Wildcats.
    WP stuck with Wallace on the Wildcat’s home court in the first half. The Broncos took the lead on their first possession when Michael
Duvel found a cutting Jacksen Littrel. WP kept the game close with two free throws by Ashton Wheeler and an acrobatics bucket off an offensive rebound by Littrel.
    Tied at 6-6 with four minutes gone in the game, both teams cooled off until a conventional three-point play by Grayden Sutherland with 1:34 left in the quarter. Wallace made the most of the time remaining and scored six points, leave WP trailing 9-12.
    Broncos’ Head Coach Joseph Frecks said it was one of WP’s strongest starts its had all year.
    Wallace increased its lead to five with the first possession of the second quarter, but Littrel responded with a three to keep the Broncos within two points before Sutherland tied the game at 14-14. After Wheeler gave WP its final lead of the game with a three pointer, the Wildcats scored 11-straight points to take control. The Broncos trailed by 10 points, 17-27, when Littrel broke Wallace’s streak with a three pointer. WP would match the Wildcats point for point as the half ran down thanks to a three pointer by Duvel and two pointer by Wheeler.
    Coming out of the locker room trailing 24-38, Despite not scoring for over two minutes to start the half, Wauneta-Palisade hung with Wallace in the third quarter. Wheeler hit a two pointer then a three pointer on back-to-back possessions that were soon followed by a three from Littrel to make it 34-39. But the Wildcats scored the final five points of the quarter, leaving WP trailing 34-44 going into the fourth.
    The hole was too much for WP to dig out of. With only two free throws by Kyle Jutten for points in the first four minutes of the quarter, the hole grew deeper. Wheeler scored 10 points as the game wore down and finished with 22 in the 46-62 loss.
    Frecks said the Broncos played very hard and shot the ball well.  
    “The team was well prepared and mentally focused going into this game. I am very proud of how the boys competed throughout the game,” Frecks said, continuing by saying his team never quit and never stopped fighting all the way to the end.  
    “Credit to Wallace on hitting shots at key times to maintain control of the game.  They are well coached and have made big improvements throughout the year,” Frecks added.
    Littrel also finished in double figures with 14 points and led the Broncos with seven rebounds. Nathan Blackman had five boards in the game.
    Wauneta-Palisade ends its year at 3-18.
    Wallace’s season ended two nights later with a 48-55 loss to second seeded Medicine Valley.
    The Raiders played Class D2 No. 1 seed Shelton Monday in a district final and lost 46-90.
    Also reaching district final games from the RPAC are Paxton, Class D2 No. 6; Maywood-Hayes Center, Class D1 No. 2; and Dundy County Stratton, Class D1 No. 5.
    MHC played in the brutal D1-10 subdistrict that featured the No. 2 Wolves against No. 1 North Platte St. Pat’s, No. 4 Elm Creek and No. 9 South Loup. All but South Loup reached a district final.
    DCS won its Monday night game over Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 51-36.