Patient Whippets hold off Bison boys

McCook 6’6” senior Wade Burkert (above) shows plenty of tenacity while Minden senior Marshall Chasek just tries to stand his ground during the varsity basketball game at McCook High on Saturday.

Steve Towery/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — There was simply too much Lovin and not enough affection from McCook’s home baskets in a 34-28 Whippet road win Saturday afternoon.

The Bison fell behind 9-0 largely because senior Elijah Lovin had already started on his game-high 19 points for Minden.

McCook finally caught the slow-moving Whippets, 23-23, as Minden’s incredibly “patient” offensive attack sometimes led to Bison steals and scoring opportunities.

Yet the Bison momentum stopped again when Lovin made some huge final points.

“Lovin is a special player,” McCook coach Jeremy Yilk observed. “We contained him for awhile in the middle of the game, but he started fast and hit some big shots late.”

Meanwhile, shots were clearly the Bison bugaboo as their record went from 6-3 to 6-5.

Consider the 63 points allowed vs. Hastings Friday night topped McCook’s 62 combined in these two ballgames.

“We have to shoot it better,” Yilk confirmed. “In our losses, everything points back to our shooting percentage and not making/finishing plays.”

Seniors Seth Dugger and DJ Gross led the Bison with six points apiece on Saturday.

Senior James Mockry added five, including his lone three-pointer that pulled McCook within 15-9.

Classmate Alec Bunger played a big role in the next two Bison baskets.

His “backdoor” offensive putback was followed by a nice pass to Gross, whose bank shot finished the first half.

The Bison took momentum with Dugger’s steal and layup finally catching those Whippets 21-21.

Bunger buried both free throws for a 23-23 — but Lovin broke Bison hearts again when he swished another three.

The Bison twice pulled within one at 26-25 and 28-27 yet didn’t draw even again.

Bunger and Berry added four points each.

Seniors Wade Burkert (two) and Gabe Sehnert (one) provided those other three Bison points.

Lovin tallied 19.

Tigers break down Bison

HASTINGS, Neb. — The Hastings boys took an 18-3 lead and never looked back during a 63-34 varsity win over McCook Friday evening.

A total of 11 players hit shots for the 8-3 Tigers. Senior James Mockry’s nine points paced MHS followed by Gabe Sehnert (six), Wade Burkert (six), DJ Gross (four), Seth Dugger (four) and Konor Rakes (four).