Stephanie Croston

    The Seward girls' basketball team improved its record to 12-0 with convincing victories over Lincoln Christian and Aurora last week.
     Against Lincoln Christian Jan. 17, the Jays followed Natasha Mueller's 20 points to a 67-48 victory. Mueller's scoring output is a career high, Coach Tom Tvrdy said.
     "She's becoming a major offensive threat," he said.
     Tvrdy said the Jays raced out to a big lead and were able to protect it to win going away, despite 26 points from Lincoln Christian's post.
     Laural Wagner came off the bench and hit a pair of three, scoring nine points in the game. Alyssa Kamphaus notched 13 points and eight rebounds, and Emily Cady dished out four assists and grabbed two steals, while Megan Schmidt added three assists.
    Seward 70, Aurora 29
     The Jays had no trouble against Aurora Jan. 18, winning 70-29. Kamphaus finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, and Hailey Behlen snatched four steals.
     SHS again jumped to an early lead and didn't look back, holding a 17-6 lead after the first quarter and a 33-12 lead at the half.
     "A lot of kids got a lot of playing time," Tvrdy said.
    Upcoming action
     Seward will host Fairbury, 13-1, in the opening round of the Central Conference tournament Jan. 22, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Fairbury's one loss came against Crete in triple overtime, and the Jeffs are ranked second in Class C-1.
     "We are ready for the challenge," Tvrdy said. "We will see where we stand."
     The Jeffs have a senior-dominated, experienced team, with a guard who is averaging 25 points per game. Schmidt will draw the challenge of shutting her down, Tvrdy said.
     "For three years, Megan has been the antidote," he said.
     The winner of Tuesday's game will probably face Holdrege, which was ranked No. 1 in the preseason Class B polls, he said.
     "We haven't been in a four-quarter game yet. We will learn a lot about ourselves," Tvrdy said.