Stories from Friday, January 16, 2009

The McCook High School freshman girls basketball team fell to Ogallala 58-19 Thursday at home. McCook trailed 11-8 after one quarter, but the Indians pulled away. "Ogallala had a nice team," said McCook coach Jon Graff. "Their girls were big and physical, and our girls worked hard to play with them...

Husker women hit the road for Missouri game COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Nebraska women's basketball team (9-6, 0-2) closes a two-game Big 12 Conference road swing when the Huskers head to Columbia to tangle with Missouri (9-6, 0-2) on Saturday. Tip-off between the Huskers and Tigers at Mizzou Arena is set for 5 p.m. with live television coverage provided by Fox Sports Midwest (Time Warner Cable Channel 37 in Lincoln) with Beau Baehman and Anne O'Neil on the call...

OMAHA -- The long-struggling Kansas City Royals only need to look at the Tampa Bay Rays if they need some inspiration heading into the 2009 season. After making their run to the World Series, the Rays are role models for small-market clubs such as Kansas City...

NEBRASKA/KANSAS AREA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCORES THURSDAY BOYS Axtell 69, Elm Creek 31 Wallace 62, South Platte 38 THURSDAY GIRLS Elm Creek 50, Axtell 41 Perkins County 56, Chase County 47 Wallace 49, South Platte 22

BENKELMAN -- Dundy County-Stratton High School senior Paige Stute signed to play volleyball with the North Platte Community College Knights. Sally Thalken, NPCC volleyball coach, traveled to Benkelman Nov. 25 to meet with Stute and her parents Ray and Deb Stute...

Purdue and Xavier barely avoided road upsets. Arizona State wasn't so lucky. JaJuan Johnson hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left Thursday night to give the No. 19 Boilermakers a 63-61 win over Northwestern, while No. 15 Xavier got a scoring spurt from C.J. Anderson that helped the Musketeers hold off Rhode Island 67-65...

CHICAGO -- With explosive drives and pinpoint passes, Derrick Rose is attracting plenty of attention in his first NBA season. Primal screams usually are not part of the repertoire -- but they were this time. Rose scored 16 points after a slow start and Luol Deng added 22 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a surprising 102-93 overtime victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night after LeBron James missed a jumper at the end of regulation...

NFL PLAYOFF GLANCE Wild Card Playoff Games Saturday, Jan. 3 Arizona 30, Atlanta 24 San Diego 23, Indianapolis 17, OT

April 2, 1920-Jan. 13, 2009 Wade Donald Hardwick was born on the farm in Dundy county, Neb., on April 2, 1920 to Thomas Mandeville Hardwick and Myrtle Rowena (Quimby) Hardwick. He passed on to his Eternal reward on Jan. 13, 2009, at his home in Benkelman, Neb. Wade was the sixth child born to his parents and one of six boys. He would have reached his 89th birthday on April 2 of this year...

The unpredictable economy has everyone tightening their belts, including the state. That was the message given by Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy Thursday afternoon at McCook Regional Airport, where he delivered the State of the State address. Because of the economy, the state will face its greatest financial challenges with the next few years, Sheehy said...

McCOOK -- Jim Salestrom has entertained five presidents and performed in many nations of the world, but the singing star remains rooted in his love for the people of the plains and mountains of Nebraska and Colorado. "Trips to McCook are like coming home for me," said Salestrom, who will appear as the featured artist at a concert sponsored by the McCook Main Street organization...

It couldn't have happened to a better guy. Not that Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, 57, deserved misfortune, we mean that a better guy couldn't have been at the controls when his Airbus A320 apparently hit a flock of birds and lost power in both engines shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte, N.C...

I had heard first, on radio news, and then, read in The McCook Daily Gazette, that our state senator, representing the 44 th district, has once again introduced a bill that seems to typify, not only his often inane array of proposed legislation, but, also, what "government," be it the Unicameral or the U.S. Congress, feels compelled to do for us citizens...

It seems that every once in a while a situation arises that makes one wonder "What in the world were you thinking?" The following is one of them. Wednesday, Jan. 14, a small yellow Lab puppy was left in a shopping cart outside Walmart by some individual that walks on two legs. With the swift interest of customers and Walmart employees the puppy was soon safe and warm in the McCook Humane Society animal shelter where it is being cared for and waiting for a new home...

Carlyn Wehrheim was listed as one of the bell ringers for the Salvation Army red bucket campaign. In fact, as secretary of the Royal Neighbors of America Camp 4665, she made arrangements for her camp to be involved. The five who participated are Myrna Harper, Esther Zuehlsdorf, Fayann Shedd and Margie Ridpath as well as Carlyn Wehrheim...

On Monday, the YMCA Board of Directors approved the purchase of three Expresso Stationary Exercise Bicycles. According to Mike Gonzales Executive Director at the YMCA this is a good example of the importance of the YMCA's Endowment program as these bikes where purchas-ed from accrued interest from the YMCA's Endowed Fund...

McCOOK, Neb. -- The McCook High School varsity boys basketball team lost for the second time this season to North Platte. The Bison lost to North Platte 53-44 Friday night at the MHS gymnasium. On Dec. 31 in the third-place game of the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference Tournament at Norfolk, North Platte handed McCook a 50-41 setback...

Area high school basketball teams will be competing in the Colby and Oberlin tournaments next week. The McCook boys will play Scott City at 3 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the 24th annual Paul Wintz/Tom Bowen Orange and Black Basketball Classic in the Colby Community Building...

The McCook High School freshman boys basketball A and B teams split their games with Ogallala Thursday night. Kyle Gaston led the Bison A team in scoring with 20 points. Will Burkert scored 8, Matt Chitwood 7, Justin Terry 4, Tyson Karr 3 and Gabe Ware 2...

CAMBRIDGE -- The Cambridge girls basketball team improved to 10-0 with a 68-28 win over Franklin Friday. Traci Keyser finished with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Frankie Petersen added 21 points with 6 rebounds. Cambridge: Petersen 21, Ballou 5, Eubanks 3, Soucie 8, Keyser 28, Garcia 3...

NEBRASKA/KANSAS AREA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCORES FRIDAY BOYS Arapahoe 53, Elwood 30 Bertrand 64, Southwest 18