By Bob Gonderinger
sports.desk@theindependent.com

Northwest played the Cardinals dead even for 29 minutes, but the final three minutes of the first period gave the visitors a lead that they were able to ride all the way to the end of the game. With the Vikings holding an 11-10 lead, Crete suddenly kicked into overdrive. John Levorson, who signed his letter of intent with the Huskers earlier this week, started things off with a jumper from the free throw line.

After a miss by the Vikings (4-13), Crete saw Adam Wademan nail a 3-pointer, then Levorson dished an assist on the break as Josh Wohl got the layup. Crete got the ball back off a steal, and Trevor Florendo got a put-back bucket.

The Vikings got a single point during the run as Adam Wemhoff hit a free throw, but Adam Reckling closed the quarter for Crete (12-6) with a low jumper for a 21-11 lead.

"We made a nice run at the end of the first quarter," Crete coach Greg Hobza said. "At times we've been able to score in flurries. Reckling did a nice job for us inside early on, and that helped open some other things up for us. Teams look for Micah and John, and that means the other guys need to step up on offense. Fortunately, tonight they did it."

Northwest coach Jeff Korus agreed that Crete's brief surge was something his team had to contend with all night.

"We knew we were playing against a very good athletic team," he said. "Once they got that cushion, it was awfully hard to overcome. The kids battled hard, and I thought we did a better job in the second half. We had some open looks that we didn't knock down, and we have to learn how to close the deal."

Along with their offensive surge, Crete also shifted gears defensively during that stretch. The Cardinals went to a 1-3-1 zone that took the Vikings some time to figure out, and Crete obviously took advantage of that lull.

"It slows you down that's what it's supposed to do," Korus said. "If you're not shooting well on the perimeter, it makes it a lot harder. We told the guys that they needed to keep shooting. We ended up moving Ryan (Kieselhorst) to the middle to run the offense, and he was able to make some good looks for himself."

The Vikings saw Crete stay tantalizingly close for the next three periods, as the lead generally waivered between seven and 10 points. Northwest found itself unable to take advantage of the transition game, as Crete was determined to limit Northwest's running game.

"That was one thing we emphasized to the kids," Hobza said. "We needed to stop them in transition, and force them into a half court set. I thought for the most part we did a good job defensively it's probably the best we've played in the last month but they managed to get a couple on us anyway."

Crete made a move late in the game as the lead briefly swelled to as much as 14, but some free throws and a late basket by Kieselhorst cut the final margin to that maddeningly consistent 10.

Levorson led all scorers with 16 while notching 10 rebounds. Jorey Pflasterer topped the Vikings with 11.

At Northwest

CRETE 51, GRAND ISLAND NORTHWEST 41

CRETE (12-6)

Wockenfuss 1-3 1-2 4, Levorson 7-13 1-4 16, Brandt 0-1 1-2 1, Florendo 3-5 0-2 6, Wademan 2-5 0-0 5, Marvin 2-7 5-9 9, Wohl 1-1 0-0 2, Reckling 4-5 0-2 8. Totals 20-40 8-21 51.

NORTHWEST (4-13)

Pflasterer 5-12 0-1 11, Wemhoff 3-8 3-6 9, Englund 2-5 2-4 7, Cox 0-3 0-0 0, Kieselhorst 3-7 1-4 7, Hadan 1-2 0-0 2, Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Stutzman 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 16-41 7-17 41.

Crete 21 8 8 1451

Northwest 12 9 7 1341

3-Point goalsCrete 3-11 (Wockenfuss 1-1, Levorson 1-4, Wademan 1-3, Marvin 0-3), NW 2-11 (Pflasterer 1-5, Englund 1-3, Cox 0-3). Fouled outCrete, Florendo; NW, Johnson. ReboundsCrete 30 (Levorson 10), NW 24 (Wemhoff 8). AssistsCrete 12 (Marvin 4), NW 12 (Kieselhorst 4). TurnoversCrete 16, NW 19. Total foulsCrete 18, NW 19. TechnicalsNone.

GIRLS

Crete 44, Northwest 24

Grand Island Northwest played a more competitive game Saturday night, but that didn't necessarily translate to a more productive offensive performance as the Vikings fell to Crete, 44-24.

The Cardinals put themselves in position to win with an 18-point first quarter and a 29-12 halftime lead. Crete got production inside early from the combination of Lindsay Waller and Jessica Fey, as the Cardinals operated their high post feed to perfection. The Viking defense responded, preventing Crete from scoring off that play again, but the Cardinals (16-2) simply looked elsewhere. Karlee Kemper nailed a 3-pointer to put Crete ahead for good.

"We made a good adjustment inside," Northwest coach Russ Moerer said. "I thought the girls executed well, and I was really happy with our defensive effort overall. That was a good night's work.

"Offensively we did some good things, but we missed a lot of chippies. Because of Crete's athleticism and size, they were able to switch off on all of our screens. When teams overplay us outside, we struggle with that pressure, and we weren't able to get much outside shooting."

Moerer noted that his team deserved credit for staying in the game mentally and maintaining its focus.

"We had a much better effort than what we saw against Grand Island Central Catholic," he said. "I thought we did a better job attacking the rim on offense, and we worked hard all game long."

Kate Edwards led the Cardinals with 18 points, including 12 in the first half as Crete built its early advantage. The Cardinals cooled off somewhat in the final two quarters, but the Vikings (2-14) were unable to take advantage and cut into the lead to any extent.

At Grand Island

CRETE 44, GRAND ISLAND NORTHWEST 24

CRETE (16-2)

Edwards 5-12 8-13 18, A. Reetz 0-2 0-0 0, Kemper 1-1 0-0 3, Waller 3-8 3-4 9, Holdcraft 2-3 1-1 5, Wahl 1-6 0-0 2, Fey 3-9 1-2 7. Totals 15-41 13-20 44.

NORTHWEST (2-14)

Helgoth 1-1 0-1 2, Berry 2-3 0-0 4, Havranek 0-1 0-0 0, Birch 2-5 0-0 4, Rouzee 0-4 0-2 0, Stoltenberg 3-9 0-2 6, Myers 1-2 0-0 2, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Schacher 3-9 0-0 0. Totals 12-35 0-5 24.

Crete 18 11 8 744

Northwest 8 4 8 424

3-Point goalsCrete 1-5 (Kemper 1-1, Waller 0-1, Wahl 0-2, Fey 0-1), NW 0-2 (Schacher 0-2). Fouled outNone. ReboundsCrete 28 (Edwards 6), NW 24 (Birch 3, Rouzee 3, Schacher 3). AssistsCrete 11 (Wahl 3), NW 4 (Rouzee 2). TurnoversCrete 14, NW 24. Total foulsCrete 8, NW 16. TechnicalsNone.