Kearney got a 12-point lead to start the contest, but Lincoln Northstar fell back on a balanced scoring effort to push past the Bearcats.
In a top-ten matchup, the Bearcats got out to a 12-0 lead against the Navigators, as the Navigators started the contest 0-11 from the floor. Ben Johnson got off to a hot start knocking down his first two shots of the game. In the later stages of the first quarter, Navigators’ sophomore point guard Jordan Castor ignited the offensive first for the Navigators. Lincoln Northstar would go on to score 23 points in the 2nd quarter to take a 2-point lead into halftime.
Castor would go on to score a game-high 27 points and also tack on 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
The Bearcats would have a combined 45 from Jacob Webber and Ben Johnson. Johnson scored 19 points and would add 13 rebounds, giving him a double-double. Webber would connect on a couple of three late in the 2nd half, but Kearney High could not slow down the Navigators’ offense.
Senior forward Jake Kracl turned in an efficient 9 points and 5 rebounds. Kracl also had two steals and a block. Overall, the Bearcats got outrebounded by double-digit boards, but the passing lanes belonged to the Bearcats as they had 4 more assists than Northstar.
Lincoln Northstar would end up using the free-throw line to pull away from the Bearcats and beat Kearney High 65-58
The loss pushed Kearney High to 9-3 overall and 4-1 at home. The Bearcats return to action in two days as they welcome Columbus for a girls’ and boys’ doubleheader. Tipoff of the girls’ game is at 5:15 P.M., and Alex Hammeke will have the coverage from Kearney High School
