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 B 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.
No. 4 Elm Creek 55, No. 5 North Platte St. Patrick’s 46
The Buffaloes dug a 10-point hole in the first quarter but held the Irish to five points in the second and fourth quarters to pull off the comeback and advance to the semifinals.
Elm Creek senior Quin Oberg pushes the ball in transition. He scored 30 points in the quarterfinal win over North Platte St. Patrick’s. Photo by Koby Meyers.
Elm Creek senior Quin Oberg put the exclamation point on the win with a dunk at the buzzer, giving him 30 points and 13 rebounds in the game. The 5-foot-10 guard entered the tournament averaging a D1 field-leading 22.5 points and shot 12-of-21 from the field (1-of-3 from 3) and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line to become the first player in this year’s tournament to hit 30.
St. Patrick’s made five of its first seven shots to race out to a 13-5 lead, and the Irish extended it to 10 at the end of the first quarter, 21-11. Peyton Kramer dropped eight points by himself in the first period for St. Pat’s.
The Buffaloes flipped the script in the second quarter, however, by holding the Irish to 1-for-9 from the field with four turnovers. They outscored St. Pat’s 15-5 to tie it up at halftime, 26-all, as Oberg dropped 11 points on his own.
The third quarter saw five lead changes and five ties, the last at 41-all at the end of the period. The teams combined for seven points in the first seven minutes of the fourth before Kramer gave the Irish a 46-45 lead with just under three minutes to play. Elm Creek shut St. Pat’s out the rest of the way, ending on a 10-0 run and Oberg’s dunk. The Irish shot 2-for-15 from the field including 1-for-10 from 3 in the final period.
Junior Kolten Keim added 12 points, four rebounds and four steals for the Buffaloes. Elm Creek limited St. Patrick’s junior Ben Heirigs — second behind only Oberg in the D1 field in scoring — to six points on 3-for-12 shooting.
Kramer led the Irish with 17 points on 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from the line plus 13 rebounds, but no one else scored more than seven.
Elm Creek advances to Friday’s semifinals to face No. 1 Howells-Dodge at the Devaney Center at 6 p.m. CT.
“He kinda spearheaded us. We had a couple sets that we thought we could get him on… after that he took over. He did what Quin does.”
Quin Oberg’s 30-point 13-rebound double-double led No. 4 Elm Creek as the Buffaloes took down No. 5 North Platte St. Patrick’s 55-46 in the Class… pic.twitter.com/8bnUxpF5B8
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
No. 2 Lutheran High Northeast 47, Mead 44
The Eagles pulled off a furious fourth-quarter comeback, scoring five points in the last 70 seconds to force overtime before taking control in the extra period to earn a trip to the semifinals.
Senior Cole Lawless celebrates after hitting a 3 in Lutheran High Northeast’s comeback win over Mead. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
Senior Cole Lawless played the hero, scoring 12 of his game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. He only missed once all game, hitting two 3-pointers and two free throws. Ian McDonald added 11 points.
The upset-minded Raiders took it to the Eagles early, winning the first three quarters to take a 37-26 lead into the fourth.
However, Lutheran High Northeast ratcheted the pressure up several notches in the fourth, holding Mead to just two points and three shot attempts while forcing eight turnovers. The Raiders also went 0-for-6 at the foul line.
Northeast scored the first eight points of the fourth before senior Derrick Seay converted Mead’s lone bucket to push the lead back to five with 80 seconds to play. Lawless answered quickly with a 3-pointer, then after a timeout he stole the ball, leading to a jumper off the glass for McDonald to tie it up with 24 seconds to play.
Mead called timeout with 14 seconds left to draw up a final play, but the Eagles blew it up and forced a prayer from 3 that didn’t come close.
Northeast scored the first four points in overtime as well. Mead pulled within one with 35 seconds to play after a Mason Reed put-back, but Lawless hit two free throws and the Eagles survived three looks from 3 for the Raiders in the final 20 seconds.
Seay led the Raiders with 14 points and five rebounds.
“You can’t be afraid in these type of games.”
Coach Kenny Blank talks after the No. 2 Eagles complete a 14-point comeback against No. 7 Mead in Lutheran High Northeast’s 47-44 overtime win in the Class D1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/4wuHQxPQE6
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 13, 2026
No. 6 McCool Junction 55, No. 3 East Butler 50
The Mustangs fended off a second-half comeback to win the rubber match with East Butler and advance to the semifinals.
Sophomore Colby Yates followed up a career-high 24 points in the district final with his first career double-double to lead the Mustangs to victory. The 5-foot-8 guard finished with 16 points on 6-of-8 from the field (3-of-4 from 3) and 1-of-2 from the line while grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds.
Senior Dylan Gonnerman added 12 points while senior Carson McDonald chipped in with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
McCool Junction led 24-17 at halftime then extended the advantage to 11 at 34-23 midway through the third. However, the Eagles closed the period on a 9-0 run then struck first in the fourth to take its first lead of the game.
After trading buckets, McCool Junction regained control with an 8-0 run to take a 50-43 lead with just under two and a half to play. The Tigers made one last push, cutting it to three on a 3-pointer from Grant Kozisek with 16 seconds to go.
However, McDonald split a pair of free throws to push the lead to four, Kozisek missed a 3 and Yates hit another free throw to create the final margin.
Kozisek, Allen Wachal and Drew Wachal scored 11 points apiece for the Tigers.
McCool Junction moves on to Friday and will face No. 2 Lutheran High Northeast at the Devaney Center on Friday, with tipoff set for 7:45 p.m.
“We’re going to be the scrappiest team in the state. We’re going to go out and work hard. We owe that to our community.”
McCool Junction coach Jabe Wurtz talks after the No. 6 Mustangs down No. 3 East Butler 55-50 to advance to the Class D1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/ya3IaKVveX
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 13, 2026
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
No. 4 Douglas County West 49, No. 5 Grand Island Central Catholic 41
DC West junior Lane Smith looks to attack against GICC’s Isaac Urbanksi. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
The Falcons shut the Crusaders out for nearly the entire first quarter to build a double-digit lead then fended off a second-half rally to secure the first state tournament win in program history.
Junior Lane Smith led DC West with 14 points on 4-of-6 from the field (2-of-3 from 3) and 4-of-5 from the foul line. Senior Trey Olsen added 12 points and eight rebounds.
DC West coach Chip Daehling couldn’t have asked for a better start as the Falcons scored the first 13 points of the game. The Crusaders didn’t get on the board until Thomas Birch hit a 3-pointer in the final five seconds of the first quarter. GICC missed its first nine shots of the game.
While DC West’s defense set the tone in the first quarter, its offense took over in the second as the Falcons poured in 20 points — including nine from Smith — to take a 32-15 lead at halftime.
However, the Crusaders flipped the script from the first period, scoring the first nine points of the third and outscoring the Falcons 13-3 to make it a seven-point game heading into the fourth. The Crusaders continued to push, cutting it to four three times, but the Falcons outscored them 7-3 in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
Douglas County West advances to the semifinals to face No. 1 Ogallala at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday. Tipoff is set for 9 a.m.
“Third year coming down here to state… just to come away with that win… just so proud of them.”
DC West coach Chip Daehling talks after the No. 4 Falcons take down No. 5 GICC 49-41 to advance to the Class C1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/hJnl0s21K9
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
No. 2 Ashland-Greenwood 65, No. 7 Lincoln Christian 53
The reigning Class C1 champions advanced to the semifinals for the fifth year in a row with a strong offensive showing.
Ashland-Greenwood shot 62.5% from the field as three seniors scored in double figures. Derek Tonjes led the way with 19 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line with seven rebounds. Cooper Westerhold was right behind him with 18 points on 8-13 shooting and 2-of-4 foul shooting. Cal Kissinger added 14 points on 3-of-3 from the field (1-of-1 from 3) and 7-of-10 from the stripe.
Senior Logan Fangmeyer provided a spark off the bench in the first period, scoring all nine of his points on 2-of-2 from deep with an and-one in the first quarter to lead Ashland-Greenwood to a 17-12 lead.
Lincoln Christian fired back in the second quarter, opening the period with a 6-0 run to take the lead, but the Bluejays closed the half on a 14-4 run to take a nine-point advantage into the break. Tonjes scored nine of the 14.
Ashland-Greenwood opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Eight of Kissinger’s 10 free throws came in the fourth and he made seven of them to prevent a late comeback from the Crusaders.
“You can’t zap the joy out of the game. We’ve got to go out and have fun.”
Ashland-Greenwood coach Jacob Mohs talks after the No. 2 Bluejays take down No. 7 Lincoln Christian 65-53 to advance to the Class C1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/q30ypVLEW9
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
No. 3 Auburn 41, No. 6 Gothenburg 40
It took an extra four minutes to claim the final spot in the C1 semifinals, but the Bulldogs did so thanks to some late heroics and a huge double-double from sophomore Ryan Guenther.
Trailing by one with 30 seconds to go, Auburn put the ball in Guenther’s hands and he patiently probed the Gothenburg defense until he found an opening, attacking to his right then going behind the back to his left before finishing at the rim with 11 seconds to play.
Behind the back GAME-WINNER 😳
Ryan Guenther of Auburn recorded a double-double in his team's 41-40 OT win against Gothenburg. The Bulldogs advance to the Class C1 semifinals and will take on Ashland-Greenwood.
#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/kDNcwQUNVv— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
Gothenburg called a timeout to set up its final play. A gamble from a Bulldog led to an open look for the Swedes, but it didn’t go down.
Guenther finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Brayan Palmer, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, was second on the team with eight points and 12 rebounds. The Bulldogs won despite shooting 29.3% from the field.
The largest lead for either team was seven, with eight lead changes and six ties.
Guenther gave the Bulldogs the lead late in regulation as well, but Kingston Koehn answered and Auburn couldn’t capitalize on the final possession of regulation. Overtime only saw three buckets — a layup for Guenther nearly two minutes in, a 3-pointer from Gothenburg’s Kash Koehn with a minute to play and Guenther’s winner.
Sophomore Bryson Neels led the Swedes with 12 points and six rebounds.
Auburn advances to the semifinals and will face No. 2 Ashland-Greenwood on Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 10:45 a.m.
“This time of year it’s going to be a rock fight.”
Auburn coach Jim Weeks talks after the No. 3 Bulldogs’ 41-40 overtime win over No. 6 Gothenburg in the Class C1 quarterfinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/y8f5dP7lDc
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
Class B
Skutt Catholic coach Kule Jurgens greets his team during a timeout in the SkyHawks’ quarterfinal win over Lincoln Pius X. Photo by Koby Meyers.
No. 1 Skutt Catholic 51, No. 8 Lincoln Pius X 41
Skutt Catholic senior George Ziebell throws down a dunk against Lincoln Pius X. Photo by Koby Meyers.
Lincoln Pius X is the only sub-.500 team to make this year’s state tournament, but they didn’t look like it in the first Class B quarterfinal at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Thunderbolts gave the No. 1 seed a heck of a fight but couldn’t find enough offense to keep up down the stretch.
The three-time reigning champions are heading back to the semifinals with a gritty first-round win.
Skutt opened the game with a 6-0 run and led for all but the first 33 seconds, but it was a single-digit game until the last 20 seconds. Skutt lead 12-9 after one and 24-17 at halftime.
The Thunderbolts cut it to three twice in the third quarter and to four twice in the fourth, but they couldn’t find enough offense to get over the hump. Skutt used a 7-2 spurt to stretch it back out in the fourth and hit enough free throws to put it away.
Augustana commit George Ziebell, a 6-foot-9 senior, led the SkyHawks with 17 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Senior Eddie Linderman added 12 points and six boards. The SkyHawks won despite going 0-for-12 from 3 by holding Pius X to 37% shooting overall.
Sophomore Jake Markowski led the Bolts with 14 points on 5-of-9 from the field and 4-for-7 from the line while making Ziebell work for everything he got. Junior Henry Stempson added 12 points and six boards. Pius only shot slightly better from deep than the SkyHawks, finishing 2-for-12.
“Every year we tell them that this is the toughest one, and I believe that. (If) you don’t think so, ask Westside yesterday.”
No. 1 Omaha Skutt Catholic keeps its 4-peat hopes alive after escaping No. 8 Lincoln Pius X, 51-41 and advancing to the Class B semifinals.#nebpreps |… pic.twitter.com/ErlEdgwFBZ
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
No. 4 Elkhorn North 66, No. 5 Wahoo 39
Elkhorn North ripped off a 14-0 run in the first quarter and never looked back on its way to a semifinal berth.
Teammates congratulate Elkhorn North freshman Braylon Jackson, sho scored 13 points in the fourth quarter against Wahoo. Photo by Jack Stephens.
Freshman Joey Kelly knocked down a 3 on Wahoo’s second possession for the Warriors’ only lead of the game. They missed their next seven shots and turned the ball over three times as Elkhorn North scored 14 straight to build a 13-point lead.
Wahoo cut it to nine a couple times early in the second quarter, but the Warriors took a 15-point lead into halftime and maintained it at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter belonged to Elkhorn North freshman Braylon Jackson. The 6-foot guard scored five straight Elkhorn North buckets at one point while converting from all three levels. He outscored Wahoo himself 13-11 in the fourth and finished with 15 on 6-of-7 from the field (1-of-1 from deep) and 2-of-3 from the line.
Junior Kellen Murphy led the Wolves with 17 points, six rebounds and three steals while shooting 4-for-10 from deep. Elkhorn North hit 10 3-pointers in the game while Wahoo only made 11 total field goals. The Wolves held the Warriors to 26.2% shooting and forced 15 turnovers.
Kelly was the bright spot for the Warriors, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-8 from the field including 2-of-4 from 3, four rebounds and two steals.
Elkhorn North will face No. 1 Skutt in Friday’s semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
“We got a really connected group. They’re excited to be here, they expected to be here when we started the year off.”
No. 4 Elkhorn North ran away from No. 5 Wahoo early and didn’t look back, coasting to a 66-39 win in the Class B quarterfinals.#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/kl9LQWrXjv
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 12, 2026
No. 2 Norris 63, No. 7 Bennington 55
Norris used a big run in the first half and timely buckets in the second to take down Bennington and earn a berth into the semifinals.
Norris junior Shane Holen (0) throws down a dunk to cap a 6-0 fourth quarter run as Evan Greenfield (22) celebrates. Photo by Jack Stephens.
The Titans left a lot of points at the foul line (10-for-24) and struggled from deep (3-for-22) but shot 22-for-30 inside the arc and scored 34 points in the paint to make up for it. They also turned 13 takeaways into a 17-2 edge in points off turnovers to offset a hot shooting game for Bennington (53.3% from the field, 46.7% from 3).
Junior Shane Holen led the Titans with 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Junior Evan Greenfield added 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Seniors Chris Garner Jr. and Macoy Folkerts chipped in 11 points apiece, with the latter dishing out four assists.
Both teams put on a show in the first quarter, each shooting north of 60% from the field for a 19-16 Titan lead through eight minutes. However, Norris’ defense locked in for the second quarter, holding Bennington scoreless for six minutes and putting together a 14-0 run to create separation.
Norris went cold as well, however, and Bennington trimmed a 15-point deficit to 10 at halftime, 33-23. The Titans stretched the lead back to 15 late in the third before a jumper from Blaize Jung to close out the period.
Jung, a junior, did his best to will his team back into the game, scoring eight points during a 10-2 start to the fourth to pull the Badgers within five halfway through the period.
However, Norris responded with a 6-0 run including layups from Greenfield and senior Cooper Rice and a dunk from Holen to push the lead back to double digits, and Norris did enough down the stretch to withstand a late Bennington barrage from 3.
Jung finished with a game-high 26 points, including 16 (of Bennington’s 21) in the fourth. He shot 11-for-17 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3, and 2-of-2 from the foul line. Junior Kale Lamberty added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting (3-of-4 from 3).
Shane Holen head taps defender 😮💨
Norris guard Shane Holen goes up and over his defender for the slam.
#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/smrdEHV3wH— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 13, 2026
No. 3 Scottsbluff 76, No. 6 Gretna East 53
Scottsbluff senior Oliver Carpenter celebrates after one of his four 3-pointers in the Bearcats’ quarterfinal win over Gretna East. Photo by Jack Stephens.
The Bearcats ended the night at Pinnacle Bank Arena with a fireworks show, shooting 12-for-21 from the 3-point line to ground the Griffins and return to the semifinals.
Senior Nate Kelley, a UNK commit, led the way with 20 points on 7-of-11 from the field (2-of-3 from 3) and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line plus five assists and two steals. Senior Oliver Carpenter scored 13 points off the bench on 4-of-6 from 3 and 1-of-2 from the line. Seniors Rylee Meininger and Keon Delgado scored 11 points apiece while junior Caleb Burda chipped in 10 points and six assists.
The first quarter saw two ties and six lead changes as the Bearcats took a 16-15 edge into the second period. However, the Bearcats created separation in the second quarter with a 12-0 run, all on 3s, and took a 35-22 lead into halftime.
Scottsbluff continued to pour it on in the third, outscoring the Griffins 22-7 in the third before pushing the lead as high as 34 in the fourth. Gretna East junior Drayke Brown scored all 14 of his points in the last six minutes of the game to trim the final margin a bit.
Senior Jake Hawley added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his final game for the Griffins.
The Bearcats advance to set up a rematch with No. 2 Norris in Friday’s semifinals. The Titans won the first meeting 59-48 in Grand Island. Tipoff on Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 7:45 p.m.
The Griffins were no match for the Bearcats ❌
Scottsbluff defeats Gretna East 76-53 in a Class B quarterfinal matchup. The Bearcats advance to their third straight semifinal and will face No. 2 Norris.
#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/ONA4eoV4Xj— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 13, 2026
