Bancroft-Rosalie reaches double digits
Panthers playing in 10th Nebraska Girls State Tournament
By Barry Poe Journal sports writer | Posted: Thursday, March 01, 2007
As it turns out, Bancroft-Rosalie's first-round opponent in the Nebraska Girls State Basketball Tournament did the Panthers a favor in a district final last week.
Arapahoe defeated Axtell 56-42 in a Class D1 district final, which allowed Bancroft-Rosalie to secure the No. 3 seed. The Panthers (21-3) play sixth-seeded Arapahoe (18-8) in an opening-round contest at 11:30 a.m. today at Lincoln East High School.
"We were hoping to be in the opposite bracket of Humphrey St. Francis," said Trudy Samuelson, coaching her 10th state tournament entry at Bancroft-Rosalie. "We've talked to some coaches who think our draw with Arapahoe will be tough.
"We've got a tough row to hoe to get to the championship game, but hopefully we can make it there."
Top-ranked Humphrey St. Francis (23-0), the two-time defending Class D1 state champions, held off second-ranked Bancroft-Rosalie 58-54 in a district final. Interestingly, when Bancroft-Rosalie claimed the school's only state title in 2001, it defeated St. Francis in the title game.
This Bancroft-Rosalie squad is young, with two sophomores and one junior starting, but returns four regulars from a team that lost to St. Francis in a state semifinal last season.
"We've got experience and we're hoping that has a lot to do with how we perform," said Samuelson, in her 19th season as head coach at B-R. "This is probably one of the smaller teams I've had, so we're going to have to pressure defensively and try to get some cheap baskets that way."
Shelby Beaudette and Paige Goeken, a pair of talented sophomores, set the offensive pace for the Panthers. The 5-7 Beaudette leads the team with an 18-point scoring average while Goeken, a 5-10 post, averages 11 points and 6.5 rebounds.
"Those are a couple of kids who spend a lot of time in the gym and it's paying off," said Samuelson, who surpassed the 300-win plateau this season. "They're both good ballplayers and we're fortunate to have them."
The other two returning starters are Antonia Hennig, a 5-4 senior point guard and Elizabeth Cerny, a 5-6 senior forward. Katie Stansberry, a 5-6 junior, contributes 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Samuelson's deep bench includes juniors Morgan Knuppel, Jessica Wagner, Ashleen Marr and Molly Feeken.
After starting the season with 10 consecutive victories, the Panthers lost to West Point Central Catholic 52-41. Another seven wins followed before a 56-51 setback to Homer in the Lewis & Clark Conference tournament and the Panthers' third loss came in the district final.
Bancroft-Rosalie also defeated West Point Central Catholic and Homer (twice), each of whom made the Class C2 state field, and also turned back Newcastle, the defending D2 state champion. Last season, B-R ended West Point Central Catholic's 111-game winning streak.
So, how does this team stack up to Samuelson's state championship team?
"I've had some people ask me that and I tell them that the two teams have different characters," said Samuelson. "I've had a lot of fun with this team. They're a feisty group that just keeps plugging away."
The Arapahoe Warriors are playing in the state tournament for only the second time and it's their first trip since 1996. Coach Kip Stephens' squad lost twice to D1 state qualifier Wauneta-Palisade, twice to Cambridge and once to Sumner-Eddyville-Miller, which is part of the D2 state field. The Warriors avenged the losses to Cambridge and another to Eustis-Farnam in the postseason.
Cheryl Braithwait, a 5-5 junior, is the leading scorer in the D1 field at 19.3 points, but is the only Arapahoe player averaging double figures. Although an undersized forward, Braithwait also leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 per game.
Brittany Fanning, another 5-5 junior, lines up alongside Braithwait and junior Morgan Breinig (5-8) on the front line. Seniors Sarah Urbom (5-3) and Jennie Clinton (5-2) are the starting guards.
The winner plays either second-seeded Freeman (23-2) or No. 7 North Loup-Scotia (20-3) in a 9:30 a.m. semifinal Friday at Pershing Auditorium. Humphrey St. Francis opens defense of its title against Palmer (10-12) while Axtell (19-2) plays Wauneta-Palisade (17-5) in the other first-round games.
Should Bancroft-Rosalie and Humphrey St. Francis meet, it would be in the championship game at 7 o'clock Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Arapahoe defeated Axtell 56-42 in a Class D1 district final, which allowed Bancroft-Rosalie to secure the No. 3 seed. The Panthers (21-3) play sixth-seeded Arapahoe (18-8) in an opening-round contest at 11:30 a.m. today at Lincoln East High School.
"We were hoping to be in the opposite bracket of Humphrey St. Francis," said Trudy Samuelson, coaching her 10th state tournament entry at Bancroft-Rosalie. "We've talked to some coaches who think our draw with Arapahoe will be tough.
"We've got a tough row to hoe to get to the championship game, but hopefully we can make it there."
Top-ranked Humphrey St. Francis (23-0), the two-time defending Class D1 state champions, held off second-ranked Bancroft-Rosalie 58-54 in a district final. Interestingly, when Bancroft-Rosalie claimed the school's only state title in 2001, it defeated St. Francis in the title game.
This Bancroft-Rosalie squad is young, with two sophomores and one junior starting, but returns four regulars from a team that lost to St. Francis in a state semifinal last season.
"We've got experience and we're hoping that has a lot to do with how we perform," said Samuelson, in her 19th season as head coach at B-R. "This is probably one of the smaller teams I've had, so we're going to have to pressure defensively and try to get some cheap baskets that way."
Shelby Beaudette and Paige Goeken, a pair of talented sophomores, set the offensive pace for the Panthers. The 5-7 Beaudette leads the team with an 18-point scoring average while Goeken, a 5-10 post, averages 11 points and 6.5 rebounds.
"Those are a couple of kids who spend a lot of time in the gym and it's paying off," said Samuelson, who surpassed the 300-win plateau this season. "They're both good ballplayers and we're fortunate to have them."
The other two returning starters are Antonia Hennig, a 5-4 senior point guard and Elizabeth Cerny, a 5-6 senior forward. Katie Stansberry, a 5-6 junior, contributes 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Samuelson's deep bench includes juniors Morgan Knuppel, Jessica Wagner, Ashleen Marr and Molly Feeken.
After starting the season with 10 consecutive victories, the Panthers lost to West Point Central Catholic 52-41. Another seven wins followed before a 56-51 setback to Homer in the Lewis & Clark Conference tournament and the Panthers' third loss came in the district final.
Bancroft-Rosalie also defeated West Point Central Catholic and Homer (twice), each of whom made the Class C2 state field, and also turned back Newcastle, the defending D2 state champion. Last season, B-R ended West Point Central Catholic's 111-game winning streak.
So, how does this team stack up to Samuelson's state championship team?
"I've had some people ask me that and I tell them that the two teams have different characters," said Samuelson. "I've had a lot of fun with this team. They're a feisty group that just keeps plugging away."
The Arapahoe Warriors are playing in the state tournament for only the second time and it's their first trip since 1996. Coach Kip Stephens' squad lost twice to D1 state qualifier Wauneta-Palisade, twice to Cambridge and once to Sumner-Eddyville-Miller, which is part of the D2 state field. The Warriors avenged the losses to Cambridge and another to Eustis-Farnam in the postseason.
Cheryl Braithwait, a 5-5 junior, is the leading scorer in the D1 field at 19.3 points, but is the only Arapahoe player averaging double figures. Although an undersized forward, Braithwait also leads the team in rebounding at 8.4 per game.
Brittany Fanning, another 5-5 junior, lines up alongside Braithwait and junior Morgan Breinig (5-8) on the front line. Seniors Sarah Urbom (5-3) and Jennie Clinton (5-2) are the starting guards.
The winner plays either second-seeded Freeman (23-2) or No. 7 North Loup-Scotia (20-3) in a 9:30 a.m. semifinal Friday at Pershing Auditorium. Humphrey St. Francis opens defense of its title against Palmer (10-12) while Axtell (19-2) plays Wauneta-Palisade (17-5) in the other first-round games.
Should Bancroft-Rosalie and Humphrey St. Francis meet, it would be in the championship game at 7 o'clock Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
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