February 13, 2016 FINAL: Amherst def. BDS, 70-40 FINAL: Riverside def. Clearwater-Orchard, 71-48 FINAL: Winnebago def. Gothenburg, 80-78 FINAL: Seward def. Grand Island Central Catholic, 59-25 FINAL: Columbus Scotus vs…
(Articles and recaps appeared originally in The Grand Island Independent and were written by Bob Hamar) Omaha South gave the No. 1-ranked team in the nation all it wanted in the final game of the Heartland Hoops Classic Saturday night at the Heartland Events Center. But Oak Hill Academy had just enough to come away with a 59-54 victory over the Packers, who are the No. 2-ranked team in Nebraska behind unbeaten Norfolk.
Oak Hill’s Dwayne Bacon, a Florida State commit, led all scorers with 32 points. He was the only Warrior player to score in double figures. Omaha South coach Bruce Chubick Sr. said he knew the Packers had an uphill battle ahead of them in the eyes of most people against a team that probably has at least a couple of future NBA players.
“Here’s my take. There wasn’t a person in the arena that thought we had a prayer, including you guys (the media). Not anybody thought we had a prayer,” Chubick said. “The only guys who thought we had a chance were the guys in that room and the coaches.”
The game was tied deep into the fourth quarter, and Omaha South had the lead at 50-48 after two free throws by Karlon McSpadden with 3:27 left on the clock. It was tied later at 54 before Joshua Reaves, a future Penn State player, hit a 3-pointer, then made 1 of 2 from the line for a 58-54 Oak Hill lead with 47 seconds left. (more…)
Article Originally Published in the Omaha World Herald by Stu Pospisil
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Omaha Central saw in the fourth quarter why Colorado recruited Denver East’s Dom Collier.
At the same time, what Tre’Shawn Thurman was doing for the Eagles was a good audition for more Division I offers.
Thurman scored nine of his team-high 26 points — including the basket that gave Central its margin of victory — down the stretch of a 68-65 win over the Angels in the marquee game of the seventh Heartland Hoops Classic.
Collier, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored 15 points in the fourth quarter as East (16-4) erased an 11-point deficit and took a brief two-point lead, but Central scored the final four points. (more…)
Article Originally Published in the Omaha World Herald by Stu Pospisil
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — A roundup of Saturday’s games at the Heartland Hoops Classic in Grand Island, Neb.
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Norfolk 66, Kearney 62
Only an eight-point comeback was needed Saturday night as Top 10 No. 5 Norfolk completed a weekend sweep and extended its winning streak to six games with a 66-62 win over Kearney in the Heartland Hoops Classic.
The Panthers (19-2) wiped out a 37-29 Kearney lead with a 13-4 surge over two minutes of the third quarter yet couldn’t shake one of Class A’s hotter teams of the past six weeks. (more…)
by Terry Douglass
The main event in the seventh annual Heartland Hoops Classic figures to be an up-tempo affair.
Four-time defending Nebraska Class A state tournament champion Omaha Central will be making its second consecutive Classic appearance as the Eagles will play Denver East High School on Saturday, Feb. 15. Tipoff at Grand Island’s Heartland Events Center is scheduled for 9 p.m.
“It’s going to be full-court basketball,” Denver East coach Rudy Carey said of the matchup he believes features the best teams from Nebraska and Colorado going head to head. “We press and run and they like to press and run. I know Omaha Central is very aggressive, very good and they’re very well-coached, so we expect it to just be a war.”
Omaha Central coach Eric Behrens echoed Carey’s sentiments.
“Denver East is just really talented,” Behrens said. “They have some guys that can really play — if you look at the Rivals rankings, they’ve got some guys who are really well-known nationally.
“Playing them is going to be a real challenge. Everyone tells us that Denver East is the top team in Colorado in the top class, so we know that’s going to make it a lot of fun.” (more…)
by Bobby Mills
We have arrived to the final two games of this 7th edition of the Heartland Hoops Classic and once again Nebraska basketball power Omaha Central will be paired with an out-state power. The Eagles will face a formidable Class 5A Colorado high school team in Denver East in the featured game of the day. But before we spotlight that dandy, how about a look at Game 7 which sends Kearney to the Events Center to meet Class A’s #5 rated Norfolk.
Kearney (8-12) vs. Norfolk (17-2) {7:30pm}
Around Christmas time I thought maybe Tino Martinez had made a blunder scheduling Kearney against Norfolk in the co-featured game of the day. You see, at that time the Bearcats were 1-10, with their only win coming against a Class B Lexington squad. But since that time the Bearcats have gone 8-2 with the lone losses coming in a 2 point loss to Creighton Prep at the Bird Cage and a single point setback to Lincoln North Star. Excluding an opening blowout loss to Bellevue West, the biggest spread in a loss for this Kearney team was 10 points, even during that dismal 1-10 start. Kearney even stayed within 9 of Norfolk in the GNAC tournament smack dab in the middle of that losing streak. (more…)
by Bobby Mills
Today we spotlight games 3 and 4 of this year’s Classic. Game 3 features Class B’s number 1 Elkhorn South going against Grand Island Senior High while Class B power Wahoo Neumann takes on Grand Island Northwest in game 4.
And now, on to the previews:
Elkhorn South (18-0) vs. Grand Island (4-14) {12:30 pm}
Coach Alex Bahe’s Elkhorn South Storm steps up a class to play Class A Grand Island in the 10:45 tilt at the Heartland Events Center.
Elkhorn South is rated numero uno in Class B and 6th in the Omaha World-Herald’s overall top 10. Only Omaha Benson, South, Westside, and Omaha Central are rated higher. The Storm is rolling over opponents by an average score of 71-46. This bunch gets after it when they hit the hardwood. The Storm had a few close games early on but have been punishing teams since the Wahoo Holiday Tournament in late December. Since that tournament the closest anyone has come to Elkhorn South is Norris (66-51). In the last 6 outings, the Storm has outscored their opposition by a margin of 73-38. (more…)
by Bobby Mills
This coming Saturday February 15 the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island will be alive and kicking with some very fine high school basketball. Local entrepreneur Tino Martinez has lined up 8 match-ups that will feature teams all the way the southeastern edge of Nebraska all the way to Denver, Colorado.
The 7th annual Heartland Hoops Classic will commence next Saturday and is not only the only one of its kind in Nebraska, but the only one to withstand the winds of time.
We will spotlight each of the eight games in the days to come and get basketball fans prepped for the outstanding schedule of games on tap for the 7th Annual Heartland Hoops Classic. (more…)