Neligh-Oakdale Stuns #1 Ainsworth With Upset Win

Neligh-Oakdale came into Tuesday night's game against #1 Ainsworth with nothing to lose.

The Warriors were seeded No. 4 heading into the first-round C2-6 subdistrict game in O'Neill and were coming off a 5-game losing skid. But none of that stopped the Warriors as they knocked off the top-seeded team, 50-46, to advance to the subdistrict final.

'The kids really came to play last night," N-O Coach Ethan Larsen said proudly. "One of the best things about the postseason in high school basketball is that it really is a new season."

Neligh-Oakdale was down by just 3 points after the first quarter of play and knotted it up at 24-24 at the break. The Warriors outscored the Bulldogs 26-22 in the second half to secure the upset victory.

Larsen said his team opened up some opportunities by playing aggressively on both sides of the ball.

"This helped us defensively and got us to the free throw line offensively, as the boys really attacked the hoop well," he said. "That allowed us to set the tone and control the tempo for the majority of the contest." 

Junior Cole Belitz was nearly perfect from the charity stripe as he shot 11 of 12, or 92 percent, and freshman Julien Hearn went 8 of 10 from the free throw line.

"The kids had the right frame of mind and mental focus to finish the game and come out on top," Larsen said. "I'm very proud of our effort and look forward to Thursday."

Belitz led the team with 17 points and Austin Rice had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors. Others scorers were Julien Hearn with 8 points, followed by Hunter Charf and Nate Buck with 6 apiece, and Isiac Kurpgeweit with 1.

Neligh-Oakdale advances to play #2 Creighton in the subdistrict final on Thursday night. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. at O'Neill High School.

N-O    9   15   10   16   50
Ains  12   12    8   14   46  
Neligh-Oakdale: Beau Murray 1r, 1s; Julien Hearn 8p, 4r; Hunter Charf 6p, 1r; Isiac Kurpgeweit 1p, 2r; Cole Belitz 17p, 4r, 6a, 2s; Austin Rice 12p, 12r, 1a, 1s; Nate Buck 6p, 3r.