By Bob Gonderinger
sports.desk@theindependent.com

The Wildcats nearly overcame a nine-point deficit in the final three minutes against Hastings St. Cecilia, but ended up falling to the Bluehawks 56-52 in the semifinal round of the Class C-1, Subdistrict 8 tournament.

St. Paul rallied late to cut the lead to two points with 28 seconds left after a Louis Poss bucket, but Blake Wright answered for St. Cecilia after an assist from Riley Nikkila, putting the Bluehawks up by four with time running out. St. Paul (16-4) saw its final possession end in a turnover, as St. Cecilia let the final seconds tick off the clock to advance to Thursday night's final against Minden.

St. Cecilia interim head coach Rob Kober said his team knew exactly what kind of team it would be facing.

"We told the kids that St. Paul will not quit, no matter what the score is," Kober said. "At the end we did some things that are uncharacteristic of us; we turned the ball over a couple of times late. Overall we're pleased with our effort, but we'll have another game Thursday just like tonight."

St. Paul coach Rick Peters gave his team credit for staying with the high-powered Bluehawks, but said the near miss was a bittersweet experience.

"The kids fought hard, and they never gave up," Peters said. "It was a heck of an effort by a really young team. We lost eight solid seniors last year, and for us to come back with one starter and play the way we did - I told them we're really proud of them. We had our chances tonight, but it's a game of inches and we just came up short."

The game stayed close throughout the first half, as a 3-pointer by Cody Behnk allowed St. Paul to tie things up at 26 late in the half.

But St. Cecilia (17-2) responded with a three from Jake Hamburger, who lit things up for the Bluehawks all night long, then Dalton Sealey grabbed a steal went the length of the floor for a basket and a five-point lead.

St. Cecilia then opened things up early in the third period, racing to a 10-point lead off a pair of baskets from Hamburger and an inside basket from Wright. The Wildcats battled back, with 3-pointers from Brian Gay and Poss slicing the lead down to one. But Hamburger once again came through for St. Cecilia, hitting one of his six 3-point buckets, followed by a trey from Aaron Esch, and it appeared that the Bluehawks were on the verge of pulling away.

Instead, it was the Wildcats who responded down the stretch. Poss hit a pair of free throws then grabbed a steal to set up a three by Brett Wells. That cut the lead to four with 98 seconds remaining in the game. St. Cecilia then turned the ball on its next two possessions, and Poss got his team within two in the final half minute.

Peters said that Hamburger, who finished with 22 points for the Bluehawks, proved to be an unexpectedly valuable weapon.

"He really played well," Peters said. "He hit some shots deep, and every time they really needed one he knocked it down. They had tried going inside early, but our kids did a good job defensively against them."

Poss led the Wildcats with 16, while both Gay and Wells finished with 12. Wright added 12 for St. Cecilia.

At Grand Island

HASTINGS ST. CECILIA 56, ST. PAUL 52

HASTINGS ST. CECILIA (17-2)

Sealey 3-7 1-2 7, Esch 1-4 2-2 5, Nikkila 1-5 2-3 4, Hamburger 8-12 0-0 22, Wright 6-8 0-0 12, Anstine 2-2 0-0 4, Sterup 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 22-42 5-7 56.

ST. PAUL (16-4)

Robinson 1-3 0-1 2, Behnk 3-5 2-2 10, Poss 6-8 3-3 16, Timmons 0-1 0-0 0, Gay 5-8 0-0 12, Wells 5-10 0-1 12. Totals 20-35 5-7 52.

Hastings St. Cecilia 17 16 11 1256

St. Paul 17 13 11 1152

3-Point goalsHSC 7-17 (Sealey 0-3, Esch 1-2, Nikkila 0-3, Hamburger 6-8, Wright 0-1), St. Paul 7-9 (Robinson 0-1, Behnk 2-2, Poss 1-1, Gay 2-2, Wells 2-3). Fouled outNone. ReboundsHSC 16, Anstine 4), St. Paul 18 (Behnk 5). AssistsHSC 14 (Sealey 6, Nikkila 4), St. Paul 11 (Behnk 3). TurnoversHSC 10, St. Paul 16. Total foulsHSC 11, St. Paul 12. TechnicalsNone.

Minden 48, Centura 35

Top-seeded Minden moved itself into the championship round as it defeated Centura 48-35.

The Whippets (16-3) used their size to great advantage against Centura, as they used 6-foot-5 Gavin Blum inside and 6-3 Dallas Christensen on the top of their 1-3-1 zone. The result was a shaky first quarter for the Centurions, who saw Christensen harassing them at the midcourt line and forcing a number of turnovers that resulted in transition baskets for Minden. That size differential was a factor that the Centurions could simply never overcome, according to coach Ryan Rathke.

"They're a very talented team," he said. "We had a tough time with their post players; they have a lot of size inside the lane. We were trying to keep them off the boards, but they're so tall and their personnel are very good defensively. They put Christensen on top of the 1-3-1, and we had some uncharacteristic turnovers as a result. That allowed them to get a lead on us early."

Christenson converted two first quarter steals into baskets, and another steal by Zachery Sterup resulted in a bucket from Blum for a 15-8 lead after the first period. That lead was modestly extended in the second, as another Christensen jumper put Minden up 26-16 after two.

The momentum really turned for Minden in the opening possessions of the third as Joshua Werner hit back to back threes to open the half, then added another moments later as the lead had suddenly doubled to 20 points. Alex Monter scored on a putback for Centura (9-10), followed by a three from Zebulan Vanpelt, giving the Centurions some offensive momentum that they continued riding into the fourth.

Vanpelt opened the scoring with another three and a 2-pointer, followed by a bucket from Monter, as the lead slipped to 12 points midway through the fourth. Minden was able to regain control, going inside for scores by Blum and Cody Krull, to keep Centura at arms' length the rest of the way.

"The first two possessions of the second half we made mistakes," Rathke said. "We knew (Werner) could hit the shots, and we weren't thinking defensively. But I thought the kids did a nice job playing their way back throughout the half."

Rathke gave his team credit for playing beyond the level of its physical ability all season long.

"I thought we overachieved this season," Rathke said. "We did it by playing smart and disciplined. That's the primary characteristic of this team, and it allowed us to be competitive. Tonight we were able to hang around a tough, physical team."

At Grand Island

MINDEN 48, CENTURA 35

CENTURA (9-10)

Monter 2-6 0-0 4, Stutzman 1-9 0-0 2, Vanpelt 8-17 0-0 19, Roth 2-5 0-0 6, Irvine 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 15-40 0-0 35.

MINDEN (16-3)

Werner 3-4 0-1 9, Choquette 3-11 2-2 9, Pearson 0-2 0-0 0, Blum 5-7 1-2 11, Trausch 1-2 0-2 2, Christensen 6-11 1-2 13, Krull 1-4 2-2 4. Totals 19-41 6-11 48.

Centura 8 8 7 1235

Minden 15 11 14 840

3-Point goalsCentura 5-21 (Monter 0-1, Stuzman 0-5, Vanpelt 3-11, Monter 2-4), Minden 4-11 (Werner 3-4, Choquette 1-5, Pearson 0-1, Krull 0-1). Fouled outNone. ReboundsCentura 19 (Vanpelt 6), Minden 28 (Blum 6) . AssistsCentura 8 (Stutzman 3), Minden 10 (Choquette 3). TurnoversCentura 9, Minden 10. Total foulsCentura 12, Minden 4. TechnicalsNone.