Basketball Recap: Ava Reed and Chesney Joplin Secure Win for Scottsbluff

It was a proper cat-fight when Scottsbluff challenged Norfolk on Saturday. The Bearcats took down the Panthers 61-44. That's more bragging rights for the Bearcats, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.

Leading Scottsbluff to victory were Chesney Joplin and Ava Reed. Joplin went 6-for-8 en route to 15 points and three steals, while Reed shot 41% from the field to rack up 18 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Finnley Martin was another key player, putting up three points in addition to six assists, six boards, and four steals.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Scottsbluff was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They racked up nine more assists than Norfolk's also-impressive total of ten.

Norfolk lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Bo Caskey, who posted 12 points and six rebounds. Another player making a difference was Harper Fossum, who put up five points.

Scottsbluff has started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 61.5 points this season. As for Norfolk, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.

Looking ahead, Scottsbluff will take on Campbell County in a tournament on Friday. As for Norfolk, they will face off against Marian at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.