Senior Night. Rival in town. Packed gym. And the Sabetha Bluejays delivered.

On Monday, Feb. 23, seniors Jacoby Jackman, Reid Mitchell, Cole Menold, Charlie Lukert, Crayton Lanter and Ryder Smith were honored before tipoff, and then went out and handled business with a 55-47 win over rival, Nemaha Central Thunder.

“These seniors have continued the Sabetha tradition of being unselfish leaders. They are concerned with team success over their own,” said Head Coach Josh Wertenberger. “They understand what is important in life and have made the season enjoyable for everyone.”

The Bluejays had to do it without junior Jack Frazee, who was sidelined with illness, but that just meant opportunity for others and they answered.

Junior Micah Lang got things rolling early, feeding junior Holden Edelman on the block for a strong finish inside. From there, the tone was set and Sabetha was going to bring the fight. Lang protected the rim, blocked shots and controlled the glass. Even when the shots didn’t fall early, he lived at the free throw line, going five-of-six and keeping the pressure on.

Lukert found Smith for a smooth bucket on the block, and sophomore Kyson Wertenberger heated up with a step-back jumper and a transition finish to give Sabetha a 12-10 edge after one.

With Frazee out, Edelman stepped fully into the spotlight. He knocked down a confident 15-footer from the nail, battled for rebounds in traffic and made life tough around the rim. Off the bench, junior Jayton Meyer made winning plays, finishing a sharp pass from Lukert and then grabbing a gritty offensive rebound that led to two clutch free throws.

One of the loudest moments of the night came when K. Wertenberger dropped a no-look dime to Smith for two. The gym erupted, and Sabetha carried a 29-23 lead into halftime.

The third quarter turned into a heavyweight bout. Lang opened with an offensive rebound and put-back. Menold buried a step-back three. The Thunder made a push and briefly grabbed a 35-34 lead, but Sabetha didn’t blink.

Lang answered with a tough left-handed finish at the rim. Then, Edelman delivered the sequence of the night — an and-one through contact followed by a powerful drive where he simply bullied his way to the basket. The crowd was electric.

Edelman’s performance marked a full-circle moment after missing the first half of the season due to a football injury suffered in the final game against Nemaha Central.

“I was excited to get back and play physically, but just had to work on getting into basketball shape,” Edelman said. “At this point, I feel mentally focused and locked in as well as being in the shape I need to be in. I take pride in rebounding and making hustle plays because it shows the other team and your own team how bad you want it.”

The fourth quarter was all about toughness and free throws. With shots hard to come by, Sabetha closed it out at the charity stripe. K. Wertenberger, Menold and Lukert combined to go nine-of-11 from the free throw line to slam the door.

“Our defense refocused in the fourth quarter and did a great job holding them to 7 [points],” Coach Wertenberger said. “A big difference in this game was winning the free throw line.”

Lang finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. K. Wertenberger added 10 points. Menold had 9 points, six rebounds and four assists. Edelman poured in 9 points and ripped down seven boards in just 23 minutes of work.