December 06, 2014 8:30 pm • By The Telegram Staff

BEATRICE -- The Raiders couldn't uncap the lid from the basket.

A cold shooting night failed the Raiders in a 78-60 loss to Highland Community College Saturday in Beatrice.

"We had a lot of easy shots we made the day before," Central head coach Jerry Drymon said. "We didn't finish at the rim. We had probably close to 20 missed layups."

Central shot 27 percent from the floor in the game, helping Highland Community College grab a 39-21 first-half lead.

The height of Highland put the Raiders at a disadvantage inside.

"Highland is a long and tall team," Drymon said. "They have a lot of size on the perimeter. They spread you out. They did a good job of penetrating the zone."

Still, Central's defense kept the Raiders in the game.

"It was a fairly close game throughout the first half," Drymon said. "We just went ice cold. They built a lead on that. Defensively, we did a decent job, but it's hard when you don't score."

Shawn Robinson led the Raiders with 17 points, while Tanner Fuelberth added 13 points and Matthew McLeod's 10 points gave Central three players in double figures.

"The best teams have balanced scoring," Drymon said. "But a night like tonight where we couldn't get anything to fall, we needed every shot. At the end of the day, you have to make a few shots."

Central travels to York College Thursday.

Saturday at Beatrice

Central (3-13) 21 39 - 60

Highland CC 39 39 - 78

* CENTRAL - Shawn Robinson 17, Tanner Fuelberth 13, Matthew McLeod 10, Thomas Johnson 8, Connor Long 7, Warold Gatdit 4, Nietzche Jeantinor 1.

* 3-point field goals - Central 7 (Fuelberth 4, Johnson 2, Robinson 1).

Friday's Game

BEATRICE -- The Raiders seem to have turned things around.

After struggling early in the season, the Central Community College men's basketball team has put together a couple of wins.

Most recently, the Raiders defeated the Doane JV 88-81 in overtime Friday in Beatrice.

"I'm hoping we're turning the corner here," Central head coach Jerry Drymon said. "Having success helps that. This is probably the best week of basketball we've played this season."

Picking up that second win might have looked a little bleak for the Raiders, who trailed the Doane JV 59-52 at one point in the second half.

"I think we were struggling a little bit in the second half, but overall we had a lot of good looks in the paint," Drymon said.

The Raiders were able to utilize the inside game to reach the free throw line 38 times in the game.

That's a different look for Central, which usually relies on the 3-pointer.

"We drew a lot of fouls." Drymon said. "We were aggressive attacking the rim. I think they're doing a good job with that."

Because of that, Central scratched back into the game.

Eventually, Shawn Robinson was fouled with six seconds left in regulation. Robinson made both free throws, tying the game, which forced overtime.

"We slowly crawled back into it," Drymon said. "We had a lot of defensive stops."

Once Central hit overtime, it never looked back, as the Raiders outscored the Doane JV 14-7 in the extra period.

"We jumped on them in overtime," Drymon said.

Thomas Johnson led the Raiders with 23 points, while Connor Long added 21 points.

Still, the Raider comeback didn't happen without the in-game changes.

Though Central outscored Doane JV 43-38 in the first half, Drymon was pleased with how the Raiders corrected their mistakes in the second half.

"We did some good things defensively and made some adjustments," he said. "The guys made the halftime adjustments we needed."

Central travels to Highland Community College today.

Friday at Beatrice

Central (3-12) 43 31 14 - 88

Doane JV 38 36 7 - 81

* CENTRAL - Thomas Johnson 23, Connor Long 21, Shawn Robinson 13, Bryant Kelly 12, Matthew Mcleod 9, David Joachim 8, Warold Gatdit 2.

* 3-point field goals - Central 5 (Long 3, Johnson 2).