The York Dukes and the St. Cecilia Bluehawks will round out the year against one another at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at. Hopefully York focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up eight on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, York was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 53-47 to Adams Central. While losing is never fun, York can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 94th, while Adams Central is ranked 24th).
Despite their loss, York saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kiersten Portwine, who scored 20 points along with three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Those three steals set a new season-high mark for her. Chloe Koch was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, St. Cecilia came tearing into Tuesday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 54-14 victory over Fillmore Central. St. Cecilia's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
St. Cecilia got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ryann Sabatka out in front who scored 21 points along with seven rebounds. That's the first time this season that Sabatka scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Tatum Krikac, who scored ten points along with nine steals.
York's loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-3. As for St. Cecilia, they pushed their record up to 5-1 with that win, which was their third straight on the road.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's contest: York have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 6.2 threes per game. It's a different story for St. Cecilia, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 threes per game. Given York's sizeable advantage in that area, St. Cecilia will need to find a way to close that gap.
York didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against St. Cecilia when the teams last played back in December of 2022, but they still walked away with a 41-37 victory. Will York repeat their success, or does St. Cecilia have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
