An encouraging effort Saturday was followed by a discouraging one Tuesday by the Yuma High School girls basketball team.
The Indians dropped to 0-3 on the season with a 54-26 loss to the Chase County Longhorns, in Imperial, Nebraska, just three days after nearly upsetting fourth-ranked Limon.
A loss mostly was expected in Imperial — the Longhorns entered the game with a 13-5 record and featured plenty of talent, while a new-look Yuma squad under the direction of a first-year head coach, was playing just its third game.
However, the Indians simply did not present much of a challenge to the Longhorns.
Yuma scored the first basket of the game, but Chase County scored the next 27. Yuma had only four points at halftime, and a 3-pointer late in the third got them to 13 points. The Indians doubled their offensive output in the fourth with another 13, but by then the outcome was a done deal.
Ema Richardson had nine points and four rebounds, Lea Richardson eight points and three rebounds, Elle Roth four points and 10 rebounds, Liddy Day three points, Meidi Reyes two points and two rebounds, Taylor Law one rebound and one steal, and Jailyn Mekelburg one rebound.
The Indians now have to turn around and host highly-ranked Holyoke on Friday in their Lower Platte Activities Association opener, then travel to an improving Sedgwick County team on Saturday for another league game.
