On Friday, Feb. 2, the South Loup Bobcats hosted the Mullen Broncos in Arnold. Due to not being able to play a full JV game the varsity game started early, and so did the scoring for the Bobcats.

To start the game the Bobcats would go on a 11-2 run. Their defense suffocated the Broncos and allowed them to get easy transition buckets. They would end the quarter on top of the Broncos, 17-6.

The second quarter really gave the Bobcats a lot of energy. Flying around on both sides of the ball, the Bobcats were able to compound stops and scores. The Broncos hit a few shots to keep the game within reach, but going into the half the Bobcats remained on top by a healthy margin of 44-15 after a 27-9 box score in the second quarter.

The second half would give both the Broncos and Bobcats benches valuable minutes. Though the box scores for the second half only had the Bobcats up one, the first-half domination would be too much for the Broncos and they would fall to the Bobcats 66-36.

Cache Gracey led the scoring for the Bobcats with 15 points. Conner Paulsen added 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals for South Loup, while Trey Connell came away with 11 points, 10 assists, and 5 steals.

The next day the Bobcats hosted the Southern Valley Eagles in Callaway. Both teams were coming off of great games ensuring this one would be a great matchup.

The Bobcat’s defense would take off and give them some great opportunities at the rim on the offensive end. The great free-throw shooting by the Eagles would keep it close, however, leaving the box score at the end of the first, 18-12, Bobcats on top.

The second quarter was a lot like the first with both teams sticking to their game plan. The Bobcats continued to push the ball and gain some extra possessions with great defense. The Eagles continued to stick around though. The Bobcats would outscore the Eagles by 7 and go into halftime up 13.

The third quarter shifted the game from close to out of reach in a hurry. The Bobcats continued with their fast pace and it became too much for the Eagles to handle. Struggling both offensively and defensively, Southern Valley allowed South Loup to create distance on the scoreboard to ensure an easy 4th quarter.

The Bobcats would outscore the Eagles in the third, 23-4, and win the fourth quarter box score by two. Once again the Bobcats would come out on top with their second win of the week to advance them to 13-3 on the season.

Connell led the team with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals. Gracey had 10 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Joey Sallach came down with 5 rebounds, added 6 points, and had 3 steals.

The Bobcats were back on the court on Tuesday at Anselmo-Merna. Results of that game were not available at press time. They will host Hi-Line tomorrow night, Feb. 9, with a 7:30 p.m. game time.