BHS girls' losing streak hits 5 games; Boys beat Seward

The Blair girls basketball team had two opportunities to break its three-game losing skid during a three-day period.
First, the Bears struggled at Class C2 No. 9 Fremont Bergan on Thursday, falling 54-29. Then, Saturday against Seward, coach Matt Aschoff's team lost to Seward, 55-34. BHS is 12-8 overall this season.
A 16-0 scoring run put the Bears in a quick hole against the ninth-ranked Knights. Hayden Frink-Mathis finally broke the streak at 3:36 in the second quarter, making her squad's first bucket of the second period.
Aschoff said his team lacked urgency for the second-straight game. It'd had the same problem two days earlier in a loss to Omaha Roncalli.
“It's on me to help, somehow, get their energy ready to go when the game starts,” he said.
Blair trailed Bergan 31-9 at halftime and 42-19 after three periods. Addie Sullivan and Leah Chance made 3-pointers during the 8 minutes after halftime, but it wasn't enough to overcome what Aschoff said was poor shot selection and issues turning over the ball.
“I think we put the ball on the ground a little too much tonight,” the coach elaborated. “We're catching it and the first thing we do is put it on the ground. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes it's not good when the girl is 5 feet off of you and you just go to where she is.”
The Bears also struggled slowing the Knights, who routinely turned their own missed shots into second-chance opportunities.
“We got killed on the offensive rebounds,” Aschoff said. “The last couple of games, it's been offensive rebounds and our turnovers.”
Joslyn Policky led BHS in defeat with seven points, while Paige Frickenstein scored 11 for the victorious home squad.
Less than 48 hours later, Seward's Karlee Baack and Ona Stutzman combined for 30 points during a 21-point win on the Bears' floor. Aschoff's team trailed by just four points at halftime, but was outscored 31-14 during the third and fourth periods.
Chance led Blair with nine points, while Sophia Wrich, Policky and Sullivan scored seven apiece. Their team next competes 6 p.m. today at Elkhorn.

Boys beat Seward by 11
The Blair boys basketball team once lost seven straight games this season, but it's since won two in a row.
The Bears topped Seward 46-35 on Saturday afternoon. The home victory pushed their season record to 8-10, while the Bluejays dropped to 10-10.
Coach Chris Whitwer put the game away with a 17-11 fourth period. Brian Abrahams of 94.7 FM and BSDN Live reported nine made free throws during the quarter.
BHS' J'Shawn Unger led all scorers with 19 points, including 12 after halftime, while Greyson Kay had 15. Bo Meier scored eight points, and both Nolan Slominski and Crayton Macholan had two apiece.
Drew Covalt scored 12 in defeat for Seward.
The Blair Bears next compete 7:15 p.m. at Elkhorn.

BLAIR BASKETBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Blair boys 46, Seward 35
SHS (10-10) 4 8 12 11 — 35
BHS (8-10) 9 12 8 17 — 46
Scoring: BHS — J'Shawn Unger 19, Greyson Kay 15, Bo Meier 8, Nolan Slominski 2, Crayton Macholan 2 (via Brian Abrahams of 94.7 FM).
SHS — Drew Covalt 12, Finn Hochstein 7, Kameron Dyer 4, T.Hess 4, Hank Huges 4, AJ Frazey 2, Matthew Wegman 2.
Seward girls 55, Blair 34
SHS (12-7) 10 14 13 18 — 55
BHS (12-8) 8 12 5 9 — 34
Scoring: BHS — Leah Chance 9, Sophia Wrich 7, Joslyn Policky 7, Addie Sullivan 7, Claire Anderson 2, Hayden Frink-Mathis 2.
Seward — Karlee Baack 16, Ona Stutzman 14, Eden Schulz 6, Kelsey Miller 5, Lovely Hibbert 5, Haylie Sloup 5, Keira Lliteras 2, Amara Siebert 2.
Thursday
No. 9 Fremont Bergan 54, Blair girls 29
BHS (12-7) 4 5 10 10 — 29
FB (14-5) 10 21 11 12 — 54
Scoring: BHS — Policky 7, Sullivan 6, Wrich 4, Kate Wulf 4, Chance 3, Quinn Avila 2, Frink-Mathis 2, Allison Hernandez 1.
FB — Paige Frickenstein 11, Kaitlyn Mlnarik 9, Rebecca Baker 9, Carle Hapke 9, Addie Gilfry 8, Mia Cortes 5, Claire Mlnarik 3.