GBB: Ogallala Girls' Basketball defeats Cozad 71-39

(Photo Credit: Wallpapercave.com)

By: Evan Troxel

The Ogallala High School Girls' Varsity basketball team defeated the Cozad Haymakers 71-39 on Friday night, January 10th, 2025, on the Steve Morgan Court at the Prairie View Gymnasium in Ogallala, Nebraska.

Ogallala's Laney Caskey lead all scorers on both teams with 16 points. Caskey made two free throws and the rest of her points were two-point baskets.

The top scorers for Cozad were Braelyn Malcom, Emalyn Geiger and Taryn Chytka and all three of them scored nine points each. Malcom and Chytka each made three free throws and three-two point shots while Geiger made two three-pointers and three free throws.

Ogallala led pretty much the entire game, if not all of it. Ogallala led 19-5 after the first quarter. Cozad trailed Ogallala 12 to 37 at halftime.

Ogallala led Cozad 56 to 24 after the third quarter. Ogallala then won the game 71 to 39.

Cozad's Audrey Hammerlun scored four points, Erica Weatherly scored three points, Brittlin Bussinger and Talyn Sassali each scored two points while Sara Howell scored one point.

Hammerlun and Bussinger each made two free throws. Weatherly made a three-point shot while Hammerlun and Sassali each made a two-point shot.

Ogallala's Aniston O'Neil scored 12 points, Hayden Shaw scored nine points and Shaydyn Rasby scored seven points.

O'Neil made two three-point shots and two free throws. Shaw made a three and four free throws. Rasby made three two-point shots and a free throw.

Ogallala's Tenlie Flansburg also scored all seven of her points near the end of the game by making a three-pointer, a two-point shot and two free throws.

Paige Armijo scored six points (two three-pointers), while Addison Powell and Addison Slama each scored five points. Powell made one free throw while Slama made a three-point shot while the rest of the baskets for Powell and Slama were two-pointers.

Sadie Flansburg scored two points and made a two-point shot.

Cozad fell to 3-9 on the season and 0-3 in Class C-1 District 11 play while Ogallala improved to 8-3 and 3-0 in Class C-1 District 11 play.

Cozad is currently ranked 49th in Class C-1 according to the nsaahome.org wild card point leaders while Ogallala is ranked 13th in Class C-1 according to the nsaahome.org wild card point leaders.

With tough area opponents that Ogallala plays against every single year taking up a handful of spots in the top sixteen for the wild card point leaders according to the Nebraska School Activities Association, Ogallala needs to continue to win the games that they probably should win like they did against a below .500 winning percentage team like Cozad on Friday night if they want any shot of making the top sixteen in Class C-1.

The next month or so of the regular season will really determine whether Ogallala will make the Sweet Sixteen (or Final Sixteen) in Class C-1 after the regular season and also after Subdistricts (basically the early rounds of the playoffs) are played in February.

Cozad's next game is today (Saturday, January 11th, 2025) vs. North Platte St. Patrick's. They also play at home against Gothenburg on January 16th and then they have games at Centura (Cairo, Nebraska) on January 18th and at Amherst on January 21st.

Ogallala's next game is next Friday at Sidney on January 17th. Ogallala then hosts Valentine on January 18th and they also host Scottsbluff on January 21st. Ogallala then hosts Alliance on January 24th.

Ogallala also defeated Cozad in the Girls' Junior Varsity game 45 to 25, if I am not mistaken.