Below are the coaches' summaries of the games against St. Francis/Cheylin on Tuesday evening.
'St. Francis and Cheylin school districts combined forces to face the Northern Valley boys on their home basketball court Tuesday, Feb. 15 in Almena. The Cougar/Indian team brought a very strong defensive game; but the Huskies pulled off a 48-42 victory in the end. Extending their winning streak to 17-l, the Huskies boast a 5-0 league standing thus far. Quarter scoring efforts for N.V./Cheylin-St. Francis were: 5-11; 12-17; 14-9; 17-5. "We struggled on offense for much of the game," Head Husky Coach Kevin Sides explained. "They played an all-guard lineup and spread their offense out. Their guard Ben Busse was difficult to stay in front of. He ended up giving us trouble, as our backside defensive let him get to the rim and score early on. On the offensive end, we had too many turnovers and our offense wasn't good until the end of the game - when we needed it. Coming from behind (again) shows the character and determination of this team." Foster Brands and Kenton Thalheim led Husky scores with 11 points each. Eric Loya earned 10 points; Bailey Sides, scored 8; Drew Schemper, 4; Jeremiah Hansen, 3; and Brody Preston, 1.
During junior varsity action, the Huskies defeated Cheylin-St. Francis 62-36. Quarter scores for N.V. / Cheylin-St. Francis were: 23-10; 15-12; 15-12; 9-2. Scorers for the Husky J.V. squad were: Gabe Rudd, 20; Brody Preston, 18; Drew Schemper, 14; Aaron Henrickson, 4; Jason Cox, 3; Caden Lowry, 3. The Huskies will host Golden Plains this Friday, Feb. 18 when the 2022 N.V.H.S. graduating class will be honored during "Senior/Parent Night." On Monday, Feb. 21 the boys will travel to Phillipsburg to play their final, regular-season basketball game.'
'The Lady Huskies hosted the co-op team of St. Francis/Cheylin on 2/15/22. The final score of the game was 15-57. The Huskies started the night off with some strong defense, but the offense could never find rhythm. The Lady Indians were able to start taking control of the game by the end of the first quarter with second chance points, strong defense and fast breaks and never looked back. The Huskies will take on the Golden Plains Bulldogs on Friday, February 18th in Almena. Scoring for the Huskies: Delaney Sides- 6, Mary Baird- 4, Austyn Cox and Stephanie Whitney- 2 apiece, Braxton Cox- 1.
The JV Northern Valley Girls took on the Lady Indians to begin the night’s action on February 15th. The final score of the game was 14-26. The Lady Huskies fought through the entire game and went on a strong run in the second quarter closing the scoring gap to 6 points until the Lady Indians hit some key shots and eventually put the two quarter game away. The JV Lady Huskies will have their final game on Friday, February 18th in Almena against the Golden Plains Bulldogs. Scoring for the Huskies- Angel Joppa- 8, Haley Hansen- 4, Izzie Koch- 2.'