Summerland boys' basketball team finished third in the Niobrara Valley Conference Tournament, downing Stuart, 51-42, Saturday, at Niobrara.

"I thought our guys handled themselves really well for a busy, tough week," said Coach Brett Kaczor. "The conference is so balanced and we knew we would be in for a battle every game. Our goal was to be playing on Saturday in the last game and even though we fell short of playing the nightcap, we still got ourselves to Saturday, which is a major confidence boost."

The road to championship Saturday began Tuesday, when the Bobcats held off a hungry St. Mary's team, 56-49.

"We learned how important it is to take care of the little things in every game and how they can swing a tight matchup," Kaczor said.

Sam Cheatum led the charge against the Cardinals, scoring 20 points. Michael Koenig added 13 and Jaykwon Petite, 12.

Alec Schindler hit the boards for 10 rebounds.

The victory set up a rematch of a Jan. 24 contest against Elkhorn Valley.

Despite keeping the game within reach through three quarters, the Bobcats didn't seem to have an answer for the Falcons' senior Brandon Ollendick, who scored 30 points.

Schindler, Koenig and Preston Hoke each scored 14 points in the 70-49 loss.

Cheatum grabbed seven rebounds.

Saturday, Summerland took a four-point lead to the locker room and in the third quarter, both squads added eight points. The Bobcats kept control in the last stanza to pick up the win.

"Losing the night before to Elkhorn Valley, you never really know how motivated your team will be to play in the consolation game instead of the champinship," Kaczor said. "We came out with a lot of energy and maitained it throughout. It was great to end the conference week with a win against a very strong opponent in Stuart."

Koenig and Hoke each scored 11 points, while Cheatum pulled down nine rebounds.

The Bobcats advance to 16-3 on the season. They will host Elgin Public/Pope John, Thursday and travel to Lutheran High Northeast, Friday.