Basketball Recap: Allison Sucha's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Niobrara/Verdigre over St. Mary's

Niobrara/Verdigre suffered their closest loss since December 1, 2023 on Tuesday. They fell just short of the St. Mary's Cardinals by a score of 52-49. The Cougars have struggled against the Cardinals recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.

Several Cougars players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Allison Sucha, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 14 rebounds. Sucha has become a key player for Niobrara/Verdigre: the team is 12-3 when she posts at least ten boards, but 1-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Eve Kucera, who posted eight points in addition to nine rebounds and three steals.

Even though they lost, Niobrara/Verdigre smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Mary's only pulled down four offensive rebounds.

St. Mary's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Pyper Ickes led the charge by dropping a double-double on 11 points and 11 assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Gracie Williamson, who went 10 for 13 on her way to 21 points.

Niobrara/Verdigre's defeat dropped their record down to 13-6. As for St. Mary's, the win (which was their 13th in a row) raised their record to 19-1.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Niobrara/Verdigre will host North Central at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for St. Mary's, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Boyd County at 6:15 p.m. on February 11th. St. Mary's is facing Boyd County at the right time seeing as Boyd County is stuck on a 17-game losing streak.