The Fort Calhoun girls basketball team played back-to-back games Thursday and Friday, going 1-1.
The Pioneers closed out their home schedule Thursday with a 60-26 loss to Fremont Bergan before winning their Friday night game at Nebraska City, 43-36.
“True team win,” said FCHS coach Marty Plum after his squad won the battle of Pioneers on Friday.
Tess Skelton led Calhoun's second-half push, scoring 12 of her 15 points after halftime. The junior knocked down three total 3-pointers, while senior Abbie Anderson added 12 points as the Pioneers improved to 7-15.
Plum also noted the defensive effort of Dala Drowne — who also notched four points — and Maddy Tinkham's foul shooting. The freshman made four of her five fourth-quarter free throws and finished with seven points.
A day earlier against Fremont Bergan, Fort Calhoun battled back after an 18-7 first period to pull within 23-15. Bria Bench's three-point play pulled coach Plum's team back into contention against the fifth-ranked girls basketball team in Class D1.
The Knights made it short-lived, though.
Bergan scored four points to close out the first half and notched 14 more in a row to start the second, building a 41-15 advantage it turned into a 34-point victory. The Knights' Kaitlyn Mlnarik and Lauren Baker combined for 35 points, totaling 20 and 25, respectively.
Bench, meanwhile, notched a team-high 13 points for Fort Calhoun. The freshman knocked down a first-period jumper, scored six in the second and four during the third after Anderson snapped Bergan's 18-0 scoring run with a free throw make.
Anderson and Skelton added five points apiece in defeat, while Jessyka Winterberg had two and Drowne scored one.
The Pioneers close out their regular season schedule Friday at Raymond Central. The varsity girls game begins at 6 p.m.
