The Alliance Bulldogs went down swinging.
But, in the end, they went down.
Top seed Scottsbluff beat Alliance, 68-56, in the semifinals of the District B-6 boys basketball tournament Monday night at WNCC's Cougar Palace, in a game much closer than the final score would lead you to believe.
The Bearcats hit 11 of 15 fourth quarter free throws to pull away in the final minutes, and advance to Tuesday night's championship game vs. McCook, who downed Gering, 64-50, in the other semifinal.
Scottsbluff, who won its third game over Alliance this season, held a one-point lead, 14-13, at the end of the first quarter; led 33-27 at halftime, and 47-41 at the end of the third period. The Cats outscratched the Dogs, 21-15, in the fourth.
Alliance's Nathan Griess ended his career by leading all scorers with 25 points before fouling out late in the game. Kyle Sanders chipped in 10, while Isaac Burnham added eight. Seniors Tyler Pfluhaupt and Trevor Thompson eached scored five, and Grant Freeze added three.
Scottsbluff was led by Richard Williams' 21 points, who bombed four three-pointers. Zach Clemens added 19.
Alliance finishes the season with a record of 10 wins and 13 losses, while Scottsbluff improved to 17 and 7.
