The Cross County Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 27 points or more this season. They took their game at home on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 62-35 win over Centura. Given Cross County's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 64th, while Centura is ranked 233rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cross County had a senior duo take command as Ashton Seim dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds and Tanner Hollinger dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. The contest was Hollinger's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Langdon Arbuck was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Centura's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Barrett Fries, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. The match was Fries' seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Caden Ruhl, who scored seven points.
Even though they lost, Centura were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Cross County's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Centura, they still haven't won a game yet this season and fell to 0-7.
Cross County will be home for the holidays to greet Wood River at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Centura's road trip will continue as they head out to face Sandy Creek at 3:00 p.m. on December 29, 2023. The timing is sure in Sandy Creek's favor as the team sits on four straight wins at home while Centura has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.
