Sports

The Lady Badgers had a tough run on the road during the Southwest Conference tournament. The first round had the Lady Badgers playing the Gothenburg Swedes, a 14-1 team. With two starters not feeling up to par, the team would have to play a lot of basketball. Unfortunately,theBadgerscouldn’t muster up enough to get past the Swedes, 72-15.

The Cowgirls hit the trail to Hemingford for a rematch against the Bobcats Tuesday, January 28, 2025. The Cowgirls defeated the Bobcats during the second round of the Panhandle Activities Conference basketball tournament the previous week. The road trip netted a second consecutive victory over Hemingford, though it was a contest with the Cowgirls winning 47-41.

The Badger Basketball team headed to Cozad January 28, 2025 for their first round of SWC play. The Badgers had the lead going into half-time, but the Haymakers put on their defense and held the Badgers to only 10 points in the second half of play. Cozad took game #1 with a score of 52-40. Andon Olson led the team with 14 points, and Dominic Beebout was behind him with 10.

The Cowboys (9-6) hit the road to Hemingford with their eyes set for a win against the Bobcats (8-6). And win they did. The game started in the Cowboy’s favor, but the Bobcats proved that they weren’t to be discounted so quickly.

Coach Marcus Nelson said, “Overall, we had a strong weekend for the boys and girls. We had some great performances and continue to see the growth from this team.” The Valentine Badgers placed second as a team with five top-four finishers and four champions.

The boy’s team had dual action on Friday in Chadron, where the team was 2-3 and ended sixth for the day. With wins against Ogallala (37-33) and Chase County (44-35).

The Badger Basketball teams were back in action last week with a game on the road and then a conference showdown with the Broken Bow Indians at home in a Friday night game. The Lady Badgers started the Thursday night game slow in the first quarter but outscored the Lady Broncos 16-11.

These little Valentine Badgers outscored their opponents 109 to 25 on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the Hoops in the Hills Tournament in Mullen, NE. There were six teams from across the Sandhills in the third-fourth grade division.

The Badger wrestling team headed west for a couple of full wrestling days. On Friday, the VMS girls team and Lady Badger Wrestlers headed to Hemingford.

The Badger basketball teams traveled to Cody-Kilgore Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Both boys and girls were victorious in the Cherry County battle. The Lady Badgers won with a score of 50-35, with seven of the ladies chipping in some points. Paige Sprenger had 29 points, Joni Cox had 8, and Tierney Miller had 6 to help the Badgers with the win. Sophomore Paige Sprenger broke the school record for steals in a game with 14.