Neligh-Oakdale Splits Games With Creighton Friday Night

The Neligh-Oakdale basketball teams split games with Creighton in their first road game of the season.
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The Lady Warriors fell in a close one, 55-50, while the N-O boys cruised to a 53-35 win over the Bulldogs.

In the girls game, the lead changed hands multiple times. Neligh-Oakdale got off to a strong start, leading by 5 points at the end of the first quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs rallied and pulled ahead by one going into halftime. The Lady Warriors took control and had a 2-point advantage heading into the final quarter. Creighton scored 21 points in the fourth for the win.

"We were really aggressive throughout the game. We are starting to play at a higher tempo on both offense and defense," N-O Coach Ron Beacom said. "The next step will be to continue playing at this pace, but being able to gather ourselves and play under control offensively when doing so."

Three Lady Warriors scored in double digits: Kinsley Klabenes 14, Bailey Frey 12 and Danae Smith 10.

"Bailey Frey really stepped up," Beacom said. "For a young kid, she really did a lot of things well for us. If she can consistently provide us with that kind of production (12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals) it will be a big boost to our team. We continue to make big strides. We'll have a couple more big tests yet this week, but our girls should be proud of the effort and accomplishments they have made so far in the month of December."

The Warrior boys held a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but a low-scoring second quarter gave them just a 20-15 advantage at the half. Neligh-Oakdale came out of the locker room and went on a 10-0 run to pull away in the third. They continued to extend their lead in the final quarter for the win.

"I'm happy with our performance," Coach Frank Gade said. "That is the first 4 quarter game we have played all year. Creighton is a solid team with some athletic kids, so a victory in their place is something we will take every time."

Tyson Belitz led the Warriors with 18 points thanks to a 5-of-7 performance from the field. He was also 7-of-9 from the free-throw line and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Grant White added 11 points while Chris Bentley had eight boards.

Neligh-Oakdale will be on the road again next week as they travel to St. Mary's on Tuesday and Bloomfield on Friday.