Trojans fall in battle of state-rated teams

PONCA — It was a battle between two Northeast Nebraska heavyweights as the seventhrated Ponca Indians played host to the sixth ranked Cedar Catholic Trojans here Tuesday.

The intensity and physicality of the game could be felt reverberating throughout the gym as both sides took turns volleying barbs back and forth across the floor in the form of school spirit, before tip off even took place.

The game plan coming in had one key element, containment.

“The Kingsbury kid (Carter) is probably Ponca’s main fixture, “ coach Matt Steffen said. “(Brandon) Kneifl is pretty good also, so we will have to work hard to keep them under control all night.”

The younger Trojan team, flanked by the presence of one lone senior in the form of sixfooter Brady Steffen, was very eager to meet their containment assignment right out of the gate, as their swarming defense held Ponca’s highpowered offense to just nine first-quarter points.

The Trojan offense tallied 14 scores of their own behind a quick start from sophomore Tate Thoene and Steffen, who knocked down a pair of shots from beyond the arc, giving Cedar the five-point early lead.

The mission to contain the Indians’ scoring threats unraveled a bit in the second quarter.

The hot-handed duo of Kneifl and Kingsbury came to life, with Kingsbury’s ever dominant presence in the paint proving to be too much for the Trojans and paving the way for Ponca to launch an aerial assault and ride a 22-13 scoring run into the intermission.

“We’re going to have to take care of the ball,” coach Steffen said. “We have to execute on offense, and work on containing Ponca’s scoring threats throughout the game.”

The start of the second act saw a resurgence in offense for the Trojans, as 5’10 junior swingman Myles Thoene knocked down a series of 3-pointers which knotted the game up with 3:40 left to play in the third quarter.

A few quick strikes and dropped 3-pointers the other way shifted the momentum back toward the Indians, though, giving the home team a six-point lead heading into the final frame, 43-37.

The fourth quarter was filled with about as much intensity as could be expected when watching two dominant teams vying for a huge win.

After several back and forths and momentum shifts, it all came down to which team could hold its own better from the charity stripe. With 2:18 left to play in regulation, Cedar freshman Jaxon Bernecker, with ice in his veins, brought the score within three points with a pair of clutch free throws.

Unfortunately, Ponca was able to match Cedar’s free throw dominance and eventually outlasted their non-conference foes for the 59-50 win.

Cedar was paced by the Thoene boys as Myles tallied 13 points and Tate hit for 12. They were followed by Bernecker’s 11-point performance.

Ponca’s Kingsbury led all scorers with 23 points.

With the loss, the Trojans fall to 9-5, while Ponca improves to 13-2.

Cedar entered the first round of the MidState Conference tournament as the second seed hosting seventh seeded O’Neill Tuesday.

Cedar 14 13 10 13—50 Ponca 9 22 12 16—59

Cedar Ponca FG 11 -24 14-30 3PT 6-25 6-19 FT 10-12 13-18 Reb 35 30 TOs 14 9 Fouls 15 13 SCORING Cedar - Myles Thoene, 13; Tate Thoene, 12; Jackson Benecker, 11; Brady Steffen, 7; Charlie Schroeder, 4; Carsen Arens, 3. REBOUNDS Cedar - Tate Thoene, 10; Jackson Bernecker, 7; Brady Steffen, 5; Charlie Schroeder, 4; Myles Thoene, 3; Carter Arens, 1; Carson Arens, 1. ASSISTS Cedar - Brady Steffen, 8; Charlie Schroeder, 2; Myles Thoene, 2; Tate Thoene, 1; Carsen Arens, 1. STEALS Cedar - Brady Steffen, 3; Jackson Bernecker, 2; Tate Thoene, 1; Myles Thoene, 1.