The South Loup Lady Bobcats kicked off the 2025 season on their home court on Friday, Dec. 5, as they hosted the Twin Loup Wolves. The game proved to be a battle to the finish, and when the final buzzer sounded, it was the Wolves getting the win in a tight 35-33 game.

The Lady Bobcats got off to a slow start, scoring just 5 points in the first period, while Twin Loup doubled that score in the first. However, South Loup found their footing in the second period and put 11 points on their side of the board, while holding the Wolves to just 5, to take a slim 16-15 lead into halftime.

The third period was pretty low scoring for both teams as they remained neck-in-neck, with the Wolves scoring 8 and the Bobcats adding 6 points to their score. It was anybody’s game heading into the fourth period, but Twin Loup was able to make it count as their 12 points in the period to South Loup’s 11 was just enough to secure the win.

Junior Jade Bierman led the Lady Bobcats with 9 points. She was followed closely by sophomore Rae Hagler, who added 7 points. Asa Starr, Neltje Reiff, Kamryn Kramer, and Emma Stallbaumer each scored 3 points, Tyra Brestel added a bucket, and Erin Fitzgerald was good for a free throw.

On the defensive side of the court, it was Kramer, a junior, who led the way with 8 rebounds. Brestel, a senior, pulled down 7 rebounds in the game, while Bierman had 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 assists. Hagler had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal; while Fitzgerald added 4 rebounds and 3 steals to the stat sheet. Starr and Stallbaumer each had 3 rebounds in the game.

The Lady Bobcats were back in action the next night, as they traveled to Amherst on Dec. 6. After a narrow loss the night before, this game was much less dramatic as the Broncos maintained control of the game through all four periods. The Broncos saw three players with double-digit scoring by the end of the game, on their way to a 56-16 win. No stats were available for South Loup.

The Lady Bobcats will be back on the court on Friday, Dec. 12, on the road at Cambridge. The JV game is set to begin at 5 p.m., with tip-off for the varsity at 6 p.m. The girls will be back home against Pleasanton on Saturday afternoon, with game times at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.