Blair High School's ninth-grade duo combined for 38 points Tuesday at Waverly as the boys basketball team picked up its first win of the season.
The Bears won 57-47 with Kalan Steinbeck contributing a game-high 22, while guard Brevin Leggott scored 16 points.
“Total team effort on the floor and the bench,” BHS coach Chris Whitwer said of the win overall. “Our guys brought great energy and support from the start, and it just snowballed.”
The Eastern Midlands Conference (EMC) game was even at halftime, but the Bears took control with a 20-13 third period. Steinbeck, notably, made three 3-pointers during the quarter, while Leggott and Andrew Smutny knocked down one apiece.
Altogether, Smutny added five points to the Bears' four-quarter total, while Aidan Slominski had six and both Hayden Daggett and Cooper Sorensen scored four.
Waverly's Ashton Heffelfinger led the Vikings in defeat with 18 points. The Bears, though, are 1-1 overall after their 10-point road victory.
“We played with an owed-nothing, work-for-everything attitude together,” Whitwer said. “I’m really pleased with the amount of unselfish play and how we responded to adversity. They played together and for each other.”
Blair next plays 7:45 p.m. today at Omaha Gross' home tournament.
Blair boys 57, Waverly 47
BHS (1-1) 11 12 20 14 — 57
WHS (0-3) 12 11 13 11 — 47
Scoring: BHS — Kalan Steinbeck 22, Brevin Leggott 16, Aidan Slominski 6, Andrew Smutny 5, Hayden Daggett 4, Cooper Sorensen 4.
WHS — Ashton Heffelfinger 18, Cooper Happold 9, Isaac Clark 6, Riley Bowker 6, Carter McMillian 4, Cameron Dubas 3, Crew Verkamp 1.
No. 5 Waverly girls top Blair
Class B No. 5 Waverly moved to 5-0 Tuesday, besting coach Matt Aschoff's Blair squad, 47-24.
The Bears dropped to 1-1 with the 23-point road loss. They trailed 12-7 after one period and 25-12 at halftime, struggling to keep up with their EMC foe's offensive output.
Parker Christiansen led Waverly with 21 points, while Addie Sullivan scored eight points to lead BHS. Beau Wendt added five points for the Bears, too, while Cadence Field produced four.
Coach Aschoff's team next hosts Omaha Gross at 2 p.m. Saturday. The junior varsity game tips off at 12:30 p.m.
No. 5 Waverly girls 47, Blair 24
BHS (1-1) 7 5 7 5 — 24
WHS (3-0) 12 13 15 7 — 47
Scoring: BHS — Addie Sullivan 8, Beau Wendt 5, Cadence Field 4, Kate Wulf 3, Hayden Frink-Mathis 2, Taytum Macholan 1, Madeline Chikos 1.
WHS — Parker Christiansen 21, Annie Harms 16, Mia Jackson 6, Kenna Kottman 4.
