Boys’, girls’ basketball teams are holiday tournament champions
Lady Tigers Win Randolph
Holiday Tournament
RANDOLPH — With a week off because of the NSAA-required moratorium for all sports, the Osmond Lady Tigers came out on fire as they defeated Plainview Lady Pirates 52-34 in first round play at the Randolph Holiday Tournament Dec. 27-28.
“This was a very big win for our Lady Tigers,” said Coach Terry Viterna. “It not only was a Lewis and Clark Conference win, it also got them into the championship game against Winside. The young Lady Tigers are seeing each other in lanes on offense and working much better as a defensive unit.”
In this game, only 20 turnovers were committed and the free-throw percentage as a team was 63%. These stats were the best so far this season. Everyone on the team was able to see some playing time.
the team in
Leading scoring were Kiera Moes and Macy Aschoff with 14 and nine points, respectively. Both of these sophomore Lady Tigers had six rebounds each.
Senior Maddy Huwaldt had a stellar night as she recorded 10 points along with two steals and several rebounds. Mary Kahny and Grace Gansebom also poured in seven points each and combined for seven steals and five deflections. These Lady Tigers really caused a lot of problems for Plainview’s front court. Bailey Schimt nailed down five points to finish out the scoring.
On Saturday, Dec. 28, the Lady Tigers defeated Winside’s Lady Wildcats for the championship by a score of 44-18. With the win, Osmond improved their record to 4-4.
“Coach Schmit and I are very proud of these young ladies,” Viterna commented. “They played both games with a lot of heart, pride and hard work. There is a lot of season left; hopefully, we can continue to improve.”
In the first quarter, Osmond jumped out to a 9-2 lead. The halftime score read 22-12. The Lady Tigers doubled their score in the second half and only allowed them six points.
Macy and Kiera led in rebounds and points with eight and five rebounds and 13 and 12 points, respectively. Maddy, Grace and Mary led in steals with six, six and five, respectively.
Grace also led the team in assists with five. Mary dished out four assists as well. Riley Wagner led in deflections with six. Hayle Krienert had a good night on the boards. All team members had statistics in this game.
Tigers Take Two in Randolph
Holiday Tournament
RANDOLPH — During Christmas break, the Osmond boys played games number 7 and 8 in the Randolph Holiday Tournament, againstopponents they’dpreviously seen this season. Friday night, Dec. 27, would present a rematch with Plainview, a team the Tigers had destroyed 75-35 a couple weeks ago. On Saturday, Dec. 28, in the championship game, the Tigers would face off against the host team in a rematch following the Tigers’ season-opening whooping of the Cardinals by a score of 55-33.
Osmond 53, Plainview 23
Decked out in their orange jerseys, the Tigers wasted no time getting back into the basketball spirit. Playing their first game in 10 days, the boys took aim at playing intense defense and efficient offense against the Pirates. Keaton Timmerman added the game’s first two points with a smooth bank shot off a pass received from Justus Maertins in the corner.
The next possession, Keaton would find Aaron Chishiba at the top of the key for a three-pointer. Schultze got in on the three-point shooting and nailed one on the left wing off an assist from Maertins and the Tigers would keep rolling after that, outscoring the Pirates 35-12 in the first half.
The third quarter had a similar tone compared to the first two. Osmond forced a missed shot on Plainview’s opening possession, a rebound was grabbed by Schultze, and what followed was a patient offensive possession capped off by a baseline drive floater by Chishiba.
The two points were the first of 14 in the quarter for the Tigers as the squad increased the Plainview deficit to 33 points at the end of three quarters. Osmond would close out the game with a 30-point victory and a spot in the championship game against the Randolph Cardinals.
Osmond 50, Randolph 33
The rematch with the Cardinals got off to a nice start with Ryan Schmit sprinting the floor after a defensive rebound by Keaton Timmerman. The sophomore hit a baseline floater after receiving the pass from the aforementioned senior teammate.
Osmond would score 10 apiece in the first two quarters, led by Timmerman’s 12 first-half points. However, thanks to some poor shooting by the Tigers, Randolph was able to keep the game close up to halftime. The boys in orange just held a three-point lead at the break.
The third quarter would be the difference of the game, with the Tigers turning around their shooting efficiency and making 14 of 20 attempts (compared to 37% throughout the first 16 minutes). Chishiba contributed back-to-back assists for the Tigers.
The senior found Ryan Schmit cutting across the paint for a quicktriggered six-foot shot; the following possession, Aaron knifed his way into the paint and made a crafty bounce pass to Keaton Timmerman for a layup as the Tigers poured it on, leading by 15 at the end of quarter number three.
The third quarter witnessed the Osmond defense crank it up once again. The Tigers held Randolph to single-digit scoring for the second time in the game after getting outscored in the second period. Graysen Schultze and Aaron Chishiba both scored six points in the second half to go with Timmerman’s 10-point second-half effort. The Tigers cruise to its sixth consecutive victory against the Cardinals, and the holiday tournament championship.
Coming Up
The now 8-0 Tigers get some time to rest and prepare for the new year’s challenges. Osmond will face Niobrara-Verdigre in the first round of the Wausa Post-Holiday Tournament on Jan. 10, at 8:00 p.m. This tournament holds some of the best competition thus far in the season for the Tigers. The Cougars are currently 6-4 and on the other side of the bracket you’ll find a 6-3 Lutheran High Northeast team. Both will present challenges for the undefeated Tigers.
“We are proud of what we’ve done to close out 2019 and eagerly anticipate the opportunities that await us in 2020,” said Todd Schulze.
