LINCOLN, Neb. — The Sidney Lady Raiders' state tournament run came to an end Thursday afternoon as they fell to Bennington 64-48 in the NSAA Class B quarterfinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

Sidney (22-5) held their own early, trailing just 12-11 after the first quarter and keeping pace with the Badgers into halftime, 24-23, but Bennington (22-4) took control in the second half, using strong free-throw shooting to out score the Raiders, 36-25. 

Sidney was led by senior Kayla Westby, who scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and snagged four steals. Fellow seniors Ryan Dillehay and Carli Black each contributed 10 points. Jordynn Schnell finished with 12 rebounds. 

Sidney struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 0-for-12 from three-point range, and finished the game shooting 41.3% from the field. They turned the ball over 27 times. 

Bennington, meanwhile, capitalized on its chances at the free-throw line, converting 21-of-27 attempts (77.8%), compared to Sidney’s 10-of-19 (52.6%). 

Harper Bohaboj and Presley Baca led all scorers with 15 points for Bennington. They both added six rebounds. Bohaboj also grabbed four steals. Macie Reiner, who shot 10-12 from the free throw line, chipped in 12 points, helping the Badgers advance to Friday's state semifinals vs. top-seed Omaha Skutt Catholic at 6 p.m. CST at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

The Lady Raiders finish the season at the state tournament for the third consecutive season, a year after finishing runner-up in Class C1.