Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 19 to ten on the offensive boards, a fact the Fort Calhoun Pioneers proved on Monday. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 57-40 win over Conestoga. Given Fort Calhoun's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 63rd, while Conestoga is ranked 227th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Fort Calhoun's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Raeann Massey, who scored 16 points along with four steals. Those four steals set a new season-high mark for her. Bria Bench was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with three steals.
Conestoga lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Ella Tegels, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds. Those seven rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Danielle Ahrens, who scored eight points.
The victory makes it two in a row for Fort Calhoun and bumps their season record up to 4-2. As for Conestoga, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-5 record this season.
Fort Calhoun won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Ralston on December 19th. Ralston comes in still looking for their first win of the season. Conestoga will be home for the holidays to greet Plattsmouth at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Plattsmouth focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 23 on Saturday.
