SIDNEY – The Sidney Lady Raiders and Red Raiders notched season-opening victories Friday night at the Cabela’s Athletic Facility. The Lady Raiders used a suffocating defense to overwhelm an inexperienced Chadron team, initiating the 40-point running clock with 4:08 remaining in the third period, on the way to a 62-11 win over the Cardinals. The Red Raiders turned a 5-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage with 2:49 remaining in the game, beating the Cardinals 45-28.

The Lady Raiders had three players in double-figures, led by Kierra Schrader’s 15 points. Kayla Westby knocked down 14 points while Carli Black had 11 points in the win. Reagan Nesbitt chipped in nine points and grabbed eight rebounds. As a team, Sidney made 15 of their 22 free throws, shooting 68.2 percent from the line.

The Red Raiders led the entire game, but did not build a double-digit lead until the second half. Sidney owned the boards, out rebounding the Cardinals 38-22. Keian Kaiser passed Sidney with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Reid Fiscus added nine points and nine boards.

Sidney is back in action on Saturday when both teams travel to Gering for another conference matchup. Junior varsity games begin at 2:00 p.m. The Girls varsity is scheduled to tipoff at 3:30 pm. followed by the boys varsity at 5:00 p.m.

Catch all the varsity action on 1340 AM and 95.7 FM, Cheyenne County Country.