The Blair girls basketball team closed out 2022 with a 1-1 showing during its home holiday tourney.
The Bears beat Omaha Gross first before a 37-27 loss to Omaha Duchesne in the Dec. 30 first-place matchup. Coach Matt Aschoff's team pulled even with Duchesne, 22-22, with a 12-6 third period, but was outscored 15-5 during the last 8 minutes.
Guard Kaitlyn Johnson scored eight points in defeat, while Addie Sullivan scored seven.
Johnson also tallied a game-high 19 points during BHS' 50-36 win against the Cougars in the tourney's opening round. She scored 13 during the first period alone, hitting three 3-pointers during the first 4 minutes of the Bears' return to play after the NSAA Moratorium.
“I went to the Y a lot — I shot,” Johnson said, crediting the Blair Family YMCA for her fast start.
Sullivan, who finished with 16 points, said her teammate's shooting display motivated the home team.
“It created energy,” she said. “(Kaitlyn) did a lot of things to get herself open, and our teammates also did a lot to get her open.”
Blair led Gross 18-15 after one quarter and then 24-18 at halftime. It was tight at times, but the Bears earned their eighth win of the season in the end. Two of those victories are against Gross.
“This time it was a little more difficult,” Johnson said. “They tried some new stuff on us.”
The Bears had the right approach, though.
“We knew what we needed to know,” Sullivan said.
The sophomore continued.
“We knew what their strengths and weaknesses were,” she said. “So, we just really need to focus on our part — our fundamentals and our working as a team.”
BHS was scheduled to open 2023 play Tuesday, but the game with unbeaten Fremont Bergan was postponed due to winter weather conditions.
BHS BASKETBALL LINE SCORES
Dec. 30
Omaha Duchesne 37, Blair 27
OD (4-2) 6 10 6 15 — 37
BHS (8-2) 4 6 12 5 — 27
Scoring: BHS — Kaitlyn Johnson 8, Addie Sullivan 7, Sophia Wrich 6, Allison Hernandez 2, Leah Chance 2, Joslyn Policky 2.
OD — Nicky Huss 14, Kyra Bekaert 9, June Mullen 5, Gianna Manhart 4, Caroline Shanahan 4, Ellie Shanahan 3, Ella Wright 1.
Dec. 29
Blair 50, Omaha Gross 36
OG (0-7) 15 3 8 10 — 36
BHS (8-1) 18 6 14 12 — 50
Scoring: BHS — Johnson 19, Sullivan 16, Wrich 4, Hayden Frink-Mathis 4, Chance 3, Policky 2, Marin Sather 2.
OG — MaKenna Earnest 7, Brooklyn Donaldson 7, Brooklyn Vomacka 6, Megan Hempel 5, Savana Sweeney 4, Natalie Krehbiel 3, Anna Rice 2, Ainsley Krehbiel 2.
