Tyler Riley scored a game-high 25 points Saturday as the Platteview boys basketball team broke up what the Blair Bears hoped would be a 2-0 stint at Omaha Gross' Cougar Classic.
Instead, BHS went 1-1 with a 50-44 win against Gross and a 54-43 loss to the Trojans on Saturday. Platteview jumped out to a 14-5 lead and improved to 5-1 thanks, in part, to Riley's five made 3-pointers.
The Bears, meanwhile, went into its holiday break in defeat despite 16 points by Wyatt Ogle and 12 by Sawyer Lawton.
Two days earlier against the host Cougars, Blair led by as many as 10 points before Aaron Correa cut their advantage to just one, 40-39, with 4:33 left to go.
The Bears didn't blink.
Luke Ladwig knocked down two 3-pointers, and Cade Ulven and Kip Tupa hit free throws for a 50-44 win. The fourth BHS victory in six games this season matched last year's total over 22.
“I thought we did a good job rebounding and then finishing plays off,” Tupa said.
“We had a few offensive rebounds toward the end that turned the tide pretty much,” senior Morgan Rump added.
Initially, Blair started strong against Gross with scoring runs of nine and seven points during the 16-7 first period. Ulven and Rump knocked down shots from beyond the arc before Lawton and Ladwig added their own during the second.
“I know, myself, I wasn't hitting (shots) tonight,” Tupa said. “So, I had to look for my teammates.”
Ladwig finished with a team-high 14 points, while Rump added 10 and Lawton had eight. BHS improved to 4-2 with the victory before Saturday's game against Platteview dropped the Bears to 4-3.
