The South Loup boys put together two contrasting performances this week — one a commanding win over Ansley-Litchfield and the other a hard-fought loss on the road against Arcadia/Loup City.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Bobcats struggled to find a late scoring rhythm in a 48-37 loss to the Arcadia/Loup City Rebels. South Loup led early, 21-18, at halftime but was outscored 30-16 in the second half as the Rebels’ balanced offense took control.

Senior Conner Paulsen led South Loup with 14 points, shooting 5-for-15 from the field, including 2-for-9 from beyond the arc. Crew Witthuhn added 12 points and 12 rebounds, finishing 5-for-9 from the floor. Dylan Pandorf scored 7 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, while freshman Hudson Vickers contributed 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

Despite the loss, South Loup showed defensive intensity, collecting 11 steals and 4 blocks. Paulsen and Witthuhn combined for 8 of those steals, and the Bobcats forced 14 Rebel turnovers.

Two nights later, South Loup bounced back in dominant fashion, rolling past Ansley-Litchfield 67-21 on Thursday, Jan. 22. The Bobcats opened with a 20-6 first quarter and exploded for 29 more points in the second, taking a 49-14 lead into halftime.

Crew Witthuhn turned in one of his strongest outings of the season, scoring 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting while adding 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 8 steals. Paulsen followed with 15 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-7 from three-point range, along with 7 assists and 6 steals. Pandorf added 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while freshmen Dawson Downing and Jett Morgan chipped in 4 and 3 points, respectively, in the win over the Spartans.

With the split, South Loup moved to 5-9 on the season and continues to show depth on both ends of the court. This week, the Bobcats are on the road for MNAC tournament action.

Their first game was hosted at Dunning on Monday, Jan. 26, challenging the 6-5 Mullen Broncos. South Loup came out firing, but unfortunately Mullen battled back to win the game 59-52. Individual statistics were not available by press time. After the loss, the Bobcats will face the Arthur County Wolves on Friday, Jan. 30 for the consolation game, with the location TBA. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.