A familiar foe from the previous year, the Norris Titans, have just been narrowly vanquished by Coach Benji Hoegh’s Elkhorn squad. The Antlers now have a few days to prepare for a slate of a couple games both on their home floor.

The Antlers would first face the York Dukes who would enter Elkhorn with a record of 1-2, their only win against the Lexington Minutemen. Garret Ivey would leave the game against Lexington with 22 points.

12/14/2021 VS York

There was a familiar sense surrounding the recent fixtures from the Elkhorn Antlers that the season could veer in a more encouraging direction. York would provide a consistent test for Elkhorn throughout the whole competition on that Tuesday night.

For every basket the Antlers converted, there always seemed to be a punitive retaliation expressed by the York offense. Elkhorn would enter halftime with a three-point deficit to the Dukes. 

Time was of the essence as soon as the fourth quarter began, neither team could find a way to separate on the scoreboard. It would be Garret Ivey who would support in putting the nail in the coffin for the Dukes.

Off a quick layup by Ivey that gave York the lead, Axel Prince was left with only around 5 seconds to put up a game-winning shot attempt. The attempt would fall short, and the Antlers would have to spend a week with a losing record at 2-3.

The Antlers would shoot a lackluster 33% (13-39) from the field. Dane Petersen had a game-high 11 points

York would reverse the fortune in their favor by winning the game by 1 point. 35-34. The year before, an upset prospect was spoiled as they fell to the Antlers by 1 point as well.

12/21/2021 VS Ralston

The Ralston Rams were a force to be reckoned with from a competition standpoint as their largest margin of defeat was 10 points. They recently faced Class C frontrunners Concordia and would lose in a close competition at 62-56. 

Ralston was not a team that was fully understood by Class B, they were 3-3 before playing the Elkhorn Antlers. They had beaten both Norris and York, so the transitive property favored the Rams. 

The property was disproven that night though, as Elkhorn shot a much better game at 42% (15-36). Elkhorn would also have an abundance of free throw attempts at 29, converting 21 of them in the process. 

Free throws was a notable vice for Ralston that persisted throughout the night, as they would shoot 35% from the charity stripe (35%). 

The Antlers outrebounded the Rams lopsidedly at 36-16. Caleb O’Brien would be the only post player for the Rams that seemed to contain defensive boards.

Midway through the second half of the game, O’Brien would foul out. The absence of O’Brien sealed Ralston’s fate and the Antlers would escape 55-47.

Looking Forward

Elkhorn anticipates the North Platte Holiday Tournament that requires a 5-hour commute. They will first face the Beatrice Orangemen, and either North Platte or Platteview afterwards. 

After the short excursion, the Antlers prepare for a highly concentrated series of games in January that starts with Mount Michael at home. Local rivals Elkhorn North will visit the original high school a few days later.

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