The Scottsbluff Bearcats waltzed into their match Friday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 48-38 victory over Norfolk Catholic. Given Scottsbluff's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while Norfolk Catholic is ranked 97th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Scottsbluff found their leader in underclassman Nate Kelley, who scored 25 points along with five rebounds. The contest was Kelley's eighth in a row with at least ten points. Rylee Meininger was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why Norfolk Catholic lost, one person who can't be blamed is Nolan Fennessy. Despite the final result, he scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Those five assists set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Hammond, who scored seven points along with four steals.
Scottsbluff's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Norfolk Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Scottsbluff and Waverly will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 5th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. That game will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Keaton Rine and Kelley. Norfolk Catholic and Wayne will face off at 7:45 p.m. on January 4th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Wayne is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.
