The 2026 NSAA Boys Basketball State Championships rolled on Thursday with 12 more quarterfinal games at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Devaney Center.
Twelve teams punched their ticket to the semifinals on Wednesday with the D1, C1 and A classes taking the stage Thursday. The NebPreps sports team posted up at both facilities to bring you coverage all day on our social feeds and in our roundup.
Class D1
No. 1 Howells-Dodge 57, No. 8 Fullerton 37
The Warriors put up a fight in the first half, but the Jaguars overwhelmed them in the second half to turn a halftime deficit into a 20-point win to advance to the semifinals.
Howells-Dodge senior Dane Meyer dribbles the ball against Fullerton. He flirted with a triple-double in the Jaguars’ quarterfinal win. Photo by Rob Bañuelos.
Fullerton led 11-9 after one and used an 8-1 run in the second quarter to build its largest lead at 21-14. However, the Jaguars trimmed that deficit to three at halftime then hit the Warriors with a 15-2 run in the second quarter, and the rout was on.
Howells-Dodge won the third quarter 22-10 then delivered the knockout blow with a 13-0 run in the fourth to extend the lead to 22. Overall, the Jaguars outscored the Warriors 37-14 in the second half.
After a 2-14 first half from 3, the Jaguars hit their first four triples of the third quarter and shot 7-for-12 from deep in the half. The Warriors only made six field goals total after halftime.
Four jaguars scored in double figures and two recorded double-doubles. Senior Andre martin led the way with 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Senior Nathan Tomcak scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, hitting four 3-pointers. Junior Chase Luther contributed 11 points, five steals and three assists. Senior Dane Meyer flirted with a triple-double, totaling 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting (2-of-3 from 3), 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Junior Kane Wetovick led the Warriors with 13 points, five blocks and two steals. Junior Jacob Maxfield added 10 points, all in the first half.
Class C1
Ogallala senior Sawyer Smith finished one assist shy of a quadruple-double in the Indians’ quarterfinal win over Syracuse. Photo by Koby Meyers.
No. 1 Ogallala 77, No. 8 Syracuse 43
The game started with a pair of technical free throws for Syracuse because of a pre-game dunk for Ogallala, but it was all Indians the rest of the way as Ogallala opened its title run with a dominant showing.
One year ago, Ogallala’s Sawyer Smith suffered an ankle injury in shootaround the day before the state tournament that prevented him from playing, and without their star the Indians fell in the first round to end their unbeaten season. On Thursday, Smith showed what state tournament fans at the Devaney Center missed out on last year as he came up one assist short of a quadruple double.
All five starters scored in double figures for the high-octane Indians, but Smith stole the show with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals and nine assists as Ogallala improved to 26-0. Senior Rylan Gilmore added 15 points, four rebounds and four steals while shooting 6-for-11 (3-for-5 from 3). Junior Tanner Decastro contributed 14 points and six rebounds while senior Edan Cain and junior Lincoln Gillen chipped in 11 points apiece.
The Indians scored 44 points in the paint, more than the Rockets scored overall. They forced 24 turnovers and earned a 31-12 edge in points off takeaways.
Ogallala used a 15-1 run to break a 7-all tie in the first quarter and continued to roll the rest of the way, leading by 24 at halftime and by as much as 31 in the third quarter.
Senior Will Janssen was the lone Rocket in double figures with 12 points.
“Stats are for losers, final scores are for winners.”
Ogallala coach Carter Brown talks after the No. 1 Indians take down No. 8 Syracuse 77-43 to move on to the Class C1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/Y0k84HSIY5
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
