STROMSBURG — In the Cross County Sub-District semifinal against Aquinas Catholic, the Cougars lost sophomore Shyanne Anderson to an injury. Anderson — who averaged nine points per game during the regular season — didn’t play in Thursday night’s sub-district final against Nebraska Christian, and Cross County missed his on-court presence badly.
The Cougars simply didn’t have enough offensive reserve left to keep pace with a strong Eagles team, as Nebraska Christian secured a spot in the District Finals with a 35-23 victory Thursday night.
Defensively, Cross County played well as they held the Eagles to just 13 points in the first half and 35 for the game, but the Cougars couldn’t find a way to make up for the loss of their second-leading scorer offensively.
Cross County had just three points in the first eight minutes and scored just seven in the first half. The Cougars warmed up a bit in the second half with 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to shake off the slow start.
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The Cougars had just two shots from the floor in the first half and finished with seven baskets for the game, including a pair of treys.
Senior Josi Noble scored eight points to beat Cross County offensively and knocked down three of the team’s seven field goals, but no one else scored more than three points.
Lilly Peterson came in as the Cougars’ leading scorer, but Nebraska Christian held second scoreless for three quarters before punching a 3-pointer in the fourth period.
Peterson and Taylor Lindburg connected on Cross County’s only baskets from downtown, while Lindee Kelley also added three points. Haileigh Moutray, Chloe Sandell and Jayden Fellows had two points apiece to complete the Cougars’ scoring effort.
Team and individual statistics for both teams were not available.
The loss proved costly for Cross County, as despite ranking ninth in the D-1 class in wildcard points, the Cougars failed to earn one of four wildcard spots in the district finals after that Plainview upset Niobrara/Verdigre in the D1-8 sub-district final. Thursday evening.
Cross County ends its season with an 18-7 record.
