Beatrice boys, girls split conference tournament games with Platteview

BEATRICE - The Beatrice girls will take on Wahoo Saturday for the Trailblazer Conference Tournament title, while the boys will take on Ralston. These are a result of outcomes of Thursday's games with Platteview. 

The Lady Orange jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. They allowed just three points in the first quarter and four in the second, en route to a 38-20 win over Platteview. Beatrice had beaten the Trojans twice already this season, but Thursday nights performance was arguably one of the best all year for Beatrice. They shot the ball 5-of-12 from long range, making 11-of-20 free throws, and forced, unofficially, 24 Trojan turnovers. 

Ellie Jurgens had a career high 10 points to lead the way for the Lady O. They now take on Wahoo, who beat up Ralston 67-16, in the championship. 

While the girls had one of their best outings of the year, that was not the case for the Orangemen. Beatrice led briefly in the first half, but could not find their rhythm, falling to Platteview 41-35 -- 35 is tied for the lowest point total Beatrice has had this season. 

The Orangemen struggled to connect from downtown, going 2-for-12, both made 3's were by Shelton Crawford. They also were just 2-of-8 at the line in the first half, 6-of-13 for the game. 

The Trojans' D-1 prospect Connor Millikan led all scorers with 22. Beatrice was led by Elliot Jurgens who fouled out early with 13, marking the sixth consecutive double-digit performance for Jurgens. 

Beatrice now takes on Ralston, who they beat a week ago, for the third place game. 

The Lady Orange improved to 10-2, the Orangemen fell to 10-3.

The Lady O take on Wahoo for the title at Wahoo at 2 p.m. Saturday, the boys game tips off at 12:30.