Sixteen of the Nebraska’s best boys basketball teams made their way to the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island on Saturday for the annual Heartland Hoops Classic.
We’ll have a running roundup throughout the day recapping the games and highlighting the best performances plus interviews, highlights and photos on our social channels.
GAME 1: D2 No. 9 Grand Island Lutheran 51, D2 No. 7 Wallace 49
The Lightning survived a furious rally in the final minute to take down the Wildcats, starting the day with a game that went down to the final buzzer.
Grand Island Lutheran looked to be cruising to a comfortable win when freshman Maxwell Murdoch knocked down a 3 to give the Lightning a 49-42 lead with just over a minute to play.
However, some missed free throws opened the door, then a defensive mistake threw it wide open. Leading by five, a Lutheran defender tried to fight over a screen late and fouled Max Harrison on a 3 for a four-point play, making it a one-point game with 26.9 to play.
Murdoch split a pair of free throws to push the lead back to two, and Wallace took a timeout to set up its final possession. This time, the Lightning remained sound defensively, taking away the first option and forcing an off-balance shot that didn’t fall, with Murdoch grabbing the rebound to seal it.
“Goodness sakes, we said absolutely no fouling a jump shooter and then we did anyway,” Lutheran coach Jeremiah Slough said. “Tremendous play by that kid … We got a great stop at the end. We kind of went to a junk defense from the five-minute mark to the two-minute mark, and then at the end, we went back to our roots. We’re only averaging giving up 35 points a game; we’re a great defensive team.
“We told our kids just dig in there. On that last stop, let’s be in base zone and let’s find a way to get one.”
Murdoch scored six of his 13 points in the final period, adding seven boards to his line. The star for Lutheran was sophomore Luke Olson, however. The 6-foot-6 forward finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting (1-of-3 from 3) and 2-of-3 from the foul line, 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals.
“He’s really good in the middle of our zone, and he rebounds the tar out of it,” Slough said. “He allows us to get some easy ones in transition because he rebounds so well and we get some guys leaking out, which drives me nuts at times. Then offensively, he has learned to play with such patience and such poise around the rim. His strength is shooting the basketball, and the numbers don’t show it right now, but that really is his strength.
“He’s just going to continue to get better. He’s really committed himself to learning how to dominate off two feet, and once he figures that out, the rest of his game isn’t going to be too far behind.”
Colt Franklin led the Wildcats with 20 points and 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. The senior is a bit undersized but makes up for it with footwork and physicality. Tyson Sullivan added 11 points and five steals.
Howells-Dodge senior Andre Martin (20) contests a shot from St. Mary’s senior Gage Hedstrom. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
GAME 2: D1 No. 2 Howells-Dodge 68, D2 No. 1 St. Mary’s 56
Two state championship contenders went toe to toe for about 26 minutes, but the Jaguars dominated the final six to hand the Cardinals their second loss of the season.
It was 53-all a couple minutes into the fourth quarter… and St. Mary’s didn’t score again until both teams had emptied their benches in the final minute. Howells-Dodge put together a 15-0 run to turn a hard-fought battle into a comfortable win.
“They did a heck of a job executing the game plan,” Howells-Dodge coach Kevin Janata said. “St. Mary’s is a team that wants to run and gun and we did our best to control the pace of the game and get through our sets. Defensively, we know they’re going to get their shots up. Can we contest them? Can we make those shots as difficult as possible? I think we just wore them down in that fourth quarter.”
The high-octane Cardinals feature a talented quartet, but the best player on the floor was Howells-Dodge senior guard Nathan Tomcak. He impacted the game in every facet, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting (4-of-7 from 3) and 3-of-4 foul shooting, eight rebounds, six assists and only one turnover.
Tomcak hit two 3s in the final minute of the first half to help cut a 12-point deficit down to four at the break then scored nine in the third quarter as the Jaguars surged ahead. The senior didn’t miss a shot in the second half.
“Nathan did a heck of a job just driving to the hoop, knocking down some big shots,” Janata said. “Defensively I tried him in a new spot where he had to communicate more to the team and he filled that role beautifully.”
Senior forward Andre Martin scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half, including six during the 15-0 run in the fourth. He shot 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 at the line, converting some difficult shots around the rim.
“It’s awesome,” Janata said. “We’ve got some shooters that can knock it down, but we can’t forget about Andre inside. He elevates, he goes and gets boards and he gives us a good look inside. He did a nice job, just smooth around the rim.”
Junior Chase Luther added 12 points and seven boards while senior Ethan Prusa chipped in 10 points for the Jaguars, who shot 20-for-33 inside the arc and only turned the ball over seven times.
Senior Gage Hedstrom led the Cardinals with 18 points and five assists while fellow senior Lane Bybee added 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting and six rebounds.
Bergan Catholic senior Gavin Baker posts up against Doniphan-Trumbull. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
GAME 3: C2 No. 3 Bergan Catholic 73, C1 No. 5 Doniphan-Trumbull 55
The Knights shot the lights out to build an early lead and the Cardinals had no answer for big man Gavin Baker as Bergan Catholic pulled away in the second half to improve to 20-1.
Baker, a 6-foot-7 senior, finished with 33 points on 14-of-17 shooting (including 4-of-5 from 3), 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. He had 30 after three quarters and provided the highlight of the first period with an alley-oop on a set play in the halfcourt.
"What goes up… must come down."
Bergan Catholic's Gavin Baker was flying across the floor. pic.twitter.com/xXXchnwuPN— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 14, 2026
The Knights poured in 43 points in the first half while shooting 7-for-13 from 3 and 63% overall. They added two more triples in the second half, outscoring the Cardinals by 18 points from the arc (27 to nine) in the 18-point win.
Bergan stretched an 11-point halftime lead out to 16, the Cardinals cut it in half, then the Knights fired back to extend it to 19 late in the third before cruising through the fourth.
Junior Trent Mlnarik was efficient in the frontcourt next to Baker, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds (four offensive) and four assists. Junior guard Trey Mooney added 12 points, eight assists and three steals.
Senior Jack Poppe did everything he could to keep the Cardinals afloat, scoring 10 of his team-high 23 points in the second quarter to keep the game from turning into a rout in the first half. He added seven rebounds, six assists and five steals to his line. Senior Parker Volk finished with 14 points and five boards while senior Luke Askey chipped in 12 points.
Bergan Catholic has won three-in-a-row since its first loss of the season on Feb. 3 👏
Coach Ryan Mlnarik talks after the Knights’ 73-55 win over Doniphan-Trumbull in the Heartland Hoops Classic. #nebpreps | @Berganbball pic.twitter.com/n7yoMjO2IU
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 14, 2026
Senior Zavier Mitchell (35) recorded a double-double in Alma’s win in Grand Island. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
GAME 4: C2 No. 1 Alma 43, C1 No. 20 Adams Central 39
The teams traded big runs in the first half, but Alma took an eight-point lead into halftime and maintained the advantage the rest of the way despite a late Patriot rally.
The hero of the day was Creighton Lynch, who found space against Adams Central’s zone to knock down four 3-pointers in the first half then buried a another late in the fourth to give Alma the cushion it needed. The junior finished with 16 points on 5-of-8 from deep and 1-of-2 from the line.
Alma scored the first and last buckets of the first quarter, but Adams Central squeezed an 11-0 run in between to take a six-point lead into the second period.
However, Alma used a 12-2 run in the second quarter to surge ahead then Tucker Biskup converted a four-point play to send the Cardinals into halftime with a 21-13 lead.
The Patriots trimmed the deficit to three multiple times, including at the end of the third, then Nebraska baseball commit Kowen Rader opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a steal and breakaway slam to make it 29-28.
However, Alma responded with five straight, and every time Adams Central made a push the Cardinals answered — including the Lynch 3-pointer that made it 39-34 with 1:39 to play. The Patriots cut it to three twice, but that’s as close as they got.
Senior Zavier Mitchell scored all 11 of his points in the second half to finish with a double-double as he pulled down an event-high 14 rebounds as well.
The teams combined for 31 3-point attempts (and only 10 2-point attempts) in the first half, but Alma made a more concerted effort to attack the paint after halftime, scoring seven of its eight field goals inside the arc.
Rader, a junior, knocked down two 3-pointers after his dunk in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Alma takes down Adams Central 😎
Cardinals coach Mike Ford talks after Alma’s 43-39 win over the Patriots in the Heartland Hoops Classic. #nebpreps | @almacardinals pic.twitter.com/3uZgD3RhcQ
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 14, 2026
Elkhron North seior Kellen Murphy draws contact against Grand Island Central Catholic. The junior finished with 15 points and five assists, both game highs. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
GAME 5: B No. 4 Elkhorn North 64, C1 No. 10 Grand Island Central Catholic 41
Game five followed an extended delay to deal with a technological problem, but Elkhorn North eventually settled in and played with a lead for the last three and a half quarters to secure a bounce-back win.
The Wolves scored the last 10 points of the first quarter to take a 17-9 lead, which they extended to double figures in the second quarter by shooting 55% from the field (including 6-of-10 from 3).
The Crusaders kept it close in the third, cutting the deficit from 14 to seven multiple times, but Elkhorn North opened the fourth quarter with a 12-4 run to build a 21-point lead and both teams emptied their benches.
The Wolves shot over 50% from the field for the game and went 9-for-18 from 3 while Central Catholic only went 1-for-14 beyond the arc. Junior guard Kellen Murphy led the Wolves with 15 points on 4-of-6 from the field (2-of-4 from 3) and 5-of-6 from the line plus five assists. Senior Nike Orgilbold chipped in 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting (2-of-4 from 3).
Senior Connor Haney led the Crusaders with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. Fellow senior Thomas Birch chipped in 10 points and four caroms.
Elkhorn North bounced back in a big way at the Heartland Hoops Classic 😤
Wolves’ coach Andy King talks after Elkhorn North’s 64-41 win over Grand Island Central Catholic. #nebpreps | @theAndy_King pic.twitter.com/B7pJW2FHCL
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 14, 2026
GAME 6: C1 No. 1 Ogallala 56, C1 No. 2 Ashland-Greenwood 52
The showdown between the last two unbeaten boys teams in Nebraska went down to the wire, but the Indians pulled it out to improve to 20-0.
Making the win even more impressive is they secured it without one of their starters as junior guard Lincoln Gillen watched from the bench because of a knee injury suffered against Broken Bow. The already short-handed Indians ran into even more depth concerns as two different players fouled out, but they still found a way a way to hand the Bluejays their first loss of the season.
The Indians lit off some fireworks early as a Tanner Decastro dunk capped an 11-4 start, and they maintained the seven-point lead at the end of the first period. The Ashland-Greenwood defense settled in after that, however, as Ogallala missed seven of its first eight shots in the second quarter. The Bluejays cut the deficit to two before Ogallala got a late 3 from senior Rylan Gilmore to take a 27-20 lead into halftime.
Ogallala senior Sawyer Smith brings the ball up the floor against Ashland-Greenwood. Photo by Jack Stephens.
Ogallala used an 8-2 run to push its lead to 11 at 35-24, but senior Cal Kissinger stemmed the tide for the Bluejays. After a 0-for-6 first half from 3 for his team, Kissinger went 3-for-3 beyond the arc in the last four minutes of the third to make it 43-37.
Ashland-Greenwood continued to make a push in the fourth quarter with senior Derek Tonjes stepping up. He scored nine points in the period, including a pair of and-ones, the latter of which gave the Bluejays a 51-49 lead with less than three minutes to play.
Ogallala senior star Sawyer Smith answered with a bucket for the tie, then the Indians got a stop and Smith earned a trip to the foul line, hitting both shots for the lead with less than two minutes to play.
The teams traded stops, then an Ogallala defender fouled Tonjes with 23.7 to play. He made the first… but missed the second, and Ashland-Greenwood didn’t score again. Gilmore hit two free throws and Decastro added another to create the final margin.
Smith finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 from the field (2-of-2 from deep), seven rebounds and six assists. The 6-foot-8 Decastro added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting (1-of-2 from 3) and 1-of-2 from the line, seven rebounds and five blocks. Gilmore chipped in 10 points.
Tonjes led Ashland-Greenwood with 19 points and five rebounds. Kissinger added 17 points, five rebounds and three assists, shooting 6-of-11 from the field (3-of-45 from 3) and 1-of-1 from the line. Cooper Westerhold, another senior, added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 2-of-4 foul shooting plus six rebounds.
The Indians doubled up the Bluejays from the 3-point line (6-of-17 compared to 3-of-13) while Ashland-Greenwood left seven points at the charity stripe with missed free throws (9-of-16), which proved costly.
No. 1 Ogallala is the last unbeaten team in Class C1. 🤯@CoachBrown_0 talks about his team’s 56-52 Heartland Hoops Classic win over No. 2 Ashland-Greenwood. #nebpreps | @OgallalaHighBB pic.twitter.com/MWMeU43mak
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 15, 2026
Omaha Westside seniors Donnie Barfield Jr. (5) and Montae Brown (1) celebrate after the Warriors’ win over Lincoln North Star. Photo by Jack Stephens.
GAME 7: A No. 3 Omaha Westside 60, A No. 5 Lincoln North Star 52, OT
It took an extra four minutes to determine a winner in the penultimate game of the day, but the Warriors took control early in overtime and held on despite a phenomenal individual performance from North Star junior Jordan Castor.
North Star forced 19 Westside turnovers to erase a 10-point first-half deficit and turn the game into a back-and-forth battle down the stretch, but Westside got the stop it needed on the Gators’ final play in regulation then opened overtime with a 7-0 run, including a big 3 from senior Montae Brown. That cushion was enough for Westside to hold on the rest of the way.
“I thought both teams played really hard,” Westside coach Jim Simons said. “It was an extremely physical game. Obviously, their strength defensively in trying to speed you up and pressure you is an area we’ve got to continue to get better at. We did just enough of handling it to get enough points to get into overtime, and then in overtime, we talked about they put so much pressure up in the frontcourt, if you can get it out of that pressure, you’ve got some opportunities in the back end. We did not do a very good job of that, obviously, early in the game and couldn’t get it out of that.
“I thought late in the game, we were a little bit stronger with the ball, we were a little bit better at getting the ball advanced and got some stuff on the back end we were able to finish.”
Westside led 25-15 late in the second quarter as the Gators didn’t score their first point until the 2:37 mark, but the Gators trimmed the gap to six (26-20) at halftime and erased it entirely at 34-all by the end of the third quarter. The final period saw three more ties and three lead changes with some big-time plays on both ends.
Castor went off for 29 points on 10-of-19 from the field (3-of-6 from 3), 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists, but Westside held North Star as a whole to 30% from the field, including 2-of-8 with three turnovers in overtime.
“We did a nice job defensively,” Simons said. “Obviously, our length, when we’re dialed in — I thought we guarded really well at Millard North last Friday against what is in my opinion one of the better offensive teams in the Metro. Their shooting percentage was lower than normal, tonight was lower than normal. If we can guard the ball, which I thought we did a decent job of guarding the ball, and try to funnel the ball into our length in the paint, they were just forcing people to take some tough 2s and you’re having to score it over 6-10, 6-8, 6-7, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
Junior London Dada led four Warriors in double figures with his fourth double-double of the season despite battling through a foot injury that sidelined him for Westside’s win over Buena Vista on Friday. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in what Simons called a gutty effort.
“He’s dealing with a little bit of a sprain on his foot and was a little bit limited this week in practice,” Simons said. “That’s the word, he really gutted it out and showed some toughness, and that’s a big step for him. Everybody knows his skill level and everybody has known his skill level for a while. The question is can he do the other things beyond the offensive skill … We needed him because they’re so scrappy in how they get in there and rebound. He obviously made a couple big shots, he just didn’t get a lot of open ones.”
Senior Emre Gedik added 11 points and five rebounds while Brown chipped in 10 points , shooting 3-of-7 from deep. The performance that swung the game Westside’s way, however, was that of sophomore Darien Jenkins. With senior Donnie Barfield Jr. in foul trouble most of the game, Jenkins logged over 20 minutes and scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting (2-of-2 from 3) with three assists, two blocks and a steal, which came on North Star’s final possession in regulation.
“Depth is important this time of year,” Simons said. “You never know. I think Nebraska volleyball started it so everybody in the state says it, but ‘some nights me, some nights you, but always us.’ Last night was not Darien’s best night, it was several of our guys, not their best night … We thought Darien was a good matchup for us once Donnie went off with the fouls. He did a really good job defensively, made a couple shots from the perimeter, got it to the rim a couple times. Darien was really big for us.”
Norris coach Jimmy Motz instructs his starters before taking on Scottsbluff. Photo by Jack Stephens.
GAME 8: B No. 1 Norris 59, No. 3 Scottsbluff 48
The top-ranked Titans capped their gauntlet of a week against the three teams ranked right behind them with a double-digit win in Grand Island, though the event’s night cap was closer than the final score may indicate.
Norris (20-2) fell to No. 2 Skutt Catholic 55-52 on Tuesday (its first loss to a Class B school that snapped a 17-game winning streak), then beat No. 4 Elkhorn North 66-57 in Elkhorn on Friday before toppling the third-ranked Bearcats on Saturday.
“I thought they handled the week really well, just in terms of the prep, more so the mental side of things, because those were three grinders that we had to get ready to play, and those felt like postseason games this week,” Norris coach Jimmy Motz said. “I think that’s when you can get those types of games this time of year against really good teams, it’s going to make us better. I’m just pleased with how these guys responded tonight. They closed the gap, and we were able to make a couple plays and hit some free throws down the stretch.”
Scottsbluff got off to a good start, leading 15-10 at the end of the first, but the Titans flipped it with a 9-0 run to start the second. Norris held the Bearcats to five points on 2-for-11 shooting to take a 24-20 lead into halftime. The Titans extended that lead to nine by forcing four turnovers in the first four minutes of the third quarter, but Scottsbluff settled in again and tied it up at 38-all on the first possession of the fourth quarter.
With Norris leading by one, junior Shane Holen sprinted back in transition to block a layup, then he ran the floor and converted a three-point play. On the next trip, fellow junior Evan Greenfield scored a put-back to give Norris a six-point lead with five to play.
After trading scores — free throws for Scottsbluff senior Nate Kelley, a layup for Holen — Kelley drew Holen’s fourth foul for a three-point play, sending him to the bench for a brief stint and cutting the deficit to three with 3:18 to go.
Norris senior Alec Small, an Omaha baseball commit, replaced Holen and immediately went to work, scoring five straight points before senior Macoy Folkerts added a layup for a 7-0 run to ice the game.
“It was just kind of spurtability both ways … but Alec was big in the fourth quarter,” Motz said. “A couple baskets there, the offensive rebound put-back was a big one off the free throw, I thought, and just getting stops.”
Holen was Norris’ best player against Skutt on Tuesday, but foul trouble limited him to just two points and an early end to his day against Elkhorn North on Friday. He bounced back in a big way against the Bearcats to make some huge plays and finish with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks.
“Junior [Garner] had 31 last night, we needed that from him, and Evan had a big night, but it’s been different guys, different nights throughout the year,” Motz said. “We got [Holen] going early, just with some matchups, took advantage of that, played composed, didn’t try to force too much. It was good to see him bounce back and have a big night, and more so defensively and rebounding-wise, his length and size gives some guys some problems.”
Chris Garner Jr. led Norris with 17 points on 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3, and six rebounds on Saturday, following up the 31-point performance against Elkhorn North. The school’s career scoring leader was just 28-of-111 (25.2%) from 3 in his first three seasons, but after going 7-for-9 from deep and letting it fly confidently against Elkhorn North and Scottsbluff, he’s shooting 23-of-45 (51.1%) from beyond the arc this season.
“It stretches defenses is what it does when he’s getting it going,” Motz said. “He hit a couple timely ones tonight. He hit two in the second half, I think, which were kind of timely shots. Last night, I think he was 4-for-4 from the perimeter, but offensively since Tuesday, he’s been pretty efficient, but he’s been that way his whole career. He scores 30 and he’ll take 14 shots; that’s pretty efficient. He’s definitely played like an all-stater the last couple nights.”
Greenfield chipped in nine points, seven rebounds and five assists while taking on the primary defensive assignment of checking Kelley, along with Holen. Motz highlighted the rebounding battle as the key to the game as the Titans more than doubled up the Bearcats on the glass and didn’t surrender a single offensive rebound.
“I just liked what we did tonight after coming off a road win last night with a quick turnaround,” Motz said. “They’re really good. They’re well coached. Nate’s been, I’ve watched him now four years, he’ll be a nice player at the next level, and just he plays hard. One thing with him, we were worried about not so much his scoring and ability to make plays, but he’s one of the best rebounders we’ve seen all year, because he just finds the basketball.”
Kelley, a UNK commit, led Scottsbluff with 17 points on 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line, six rebounds and five assists with his future head coach, Marty Levinson, in the Heartland Events Center watching him. Rylee Meininger added 12 points and Keon Delgado chipped in nine points on 4-of-4 shooting and two blocks.
Norris collects a W in the Heartland Hoops Classic ⚔️ @TitanHoops160
Norris closed out the @HHoopsClassic with a win over Scottsbluff, defeating the Bearcats 59-48. pic.twitter.com/ieYdUSt1uV
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 15, 2026
