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2026 Nebraska Boys Basketball State Championships Wednesday Roundup

by Mar 11, 2026Preps Boys Basketball

2026 Nebraska Boys Basketball State Championships Wednesday Roundup
Photo Credit: Rob Bañuelos

The 2026 NSAA Boys Basketball State Championships tipped off at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Devaney Center on Wednesday with the quarterfinals in the D2, C2 and A classes.

The NebPreps team posted up at both facilities to bring you coverage all day on our social feeds and in the roundup below.

Class D2

No. 1 Elgin Public/Pope John 46, No. 8 Pleasanton 44

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Elgin Public/Pope John senior Jarek Erickson brings the ball up against Pleasanton. Photo by Rob Bañuelos.

The top seed survived a scare in the first round with two defensive stands in the final minute to secure the first state tournament win since the two schools consolidated athletically.

Junior Michael Selting knocked down a 3 with 2:50 remaining to give the Elgin Public/Pope John a 46-42 lead, but the Wolfpack didn’t score again. The Bulldogs cut it to two with a steal and score at the 1:47 mark then had a chance to tie it on the next possession, but EPPJ forced a miss inside.

After a Wolfpack miss, Pleasanton called a timeout with 10.3 left to draw up its final possession, but the Wolfpack blew it up and forced a runner from 3 at the buzzer that wasn’t close.

After a first half that saw both teams shoot over 55% from the field, EPPJ held Pleasanton to 3-for-11 from the field in the fourth quarter and 34.8% overall in the second half to offset its own offensive struggles. The Wolfpack only committed three fouls the entire game.

The game included nine ties and seven lead changes as the teams went bucket for bucket, run for run for most of the game. The largest lead was six. EPPJ threatened to pull away late in the first half with a 9-0 run ending in a dunk from sophomore Max Henn, but Pleasanton closed the half with a 3 from senior Haden Smith to make it a three-point game at halftime and rallied to take the lead late in the third, setting up a tight fourth quarter.

Senior Jarek Erickson led the way for EPPJ with 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Freshman Jayvin Erickson went 3-for-7 from deep off the bench, matching Selting with nine points.

Pleasanton senior Brennan Lindner totaled a game-high 23 points on 10-for-15 from the field (2-of-2 from 3) and 1-of-2 from the foul line. Smith added nine points on 3-of-8 from 3.

No. 5 Guardian Angels Central Catholic 54, No. 4 Deshler 50

Junior Luke Guenther shut down a Deshler comeback with a put-back in the final seconds to send the Bluejays to the semifinals.

Leading by two with 10.3 to go, the Bluejays went 0-for-2 at the line, but after the second miss 6-foot-4 sophomore Hudson Bramlet tipped the ball up and Guenther ran under it for the uncontested put-back to make it a four-point game with 10 seconds to go, and that lead held.

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Guardian Angels Central Catholic junior Luke Guenther elevates in the lane against Deshler. Photo by Rob Bañuelos.

Guenther finished with 19 points on 50% shooting, three assists and two steals. Junior Sam Hass added 12 points and four boards while senior Isaac Guenther chipped in 11 points and three steals for the Bluejays, who held on despite shooting 7-for-20 at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

GACC used a 9-2 run spanning the first and second quarters to build a six-point lead, but Deshler rallied to tie it at halftime. After falling behind midway through the third, Central catholic scored nine straight to surge ahead by six again. Deshler scored the last bucket of the third and the first three points of the fourth to pull within one, but the Bluejays responded with a 9-1 surge to stretch it back out and take their largest lead of the game at 45-36.

Missed free throws on GACC’s end kept the Dragons alive, though they struggled to take advantage, misfiring on 10 of 12 shots, most of them 3s. However, Carson Sieber converted a put-back then Easton Nash buried a 3 with 19 seconds to play to pull Deshler within one.

Luke Guenther hit a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game and GACC fouled to prevent a three-point attempt. Junior Peighton Henry hit the first shot and missed the second, but a foul on an offensive rebound attempt set up the final sequence.

Sieber led the Dragons with 22 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from the line, 15 rebounds (six offensive), three assists and three steals. Nash added 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Bluejays advance to Friday’s semifinals and will face No. 1 Elgin Public/Pope John at the Devaney Center at 9 a.m.

No. 2 Archangels Catholic 49, No. 7 Falls City Sacred Heart 28

The Defenders lived up to their name with a dominant second half to punch their ticket to the semifinals.

The Irish poured in 17 points in the second quarter to take a 22-19 lead into halftime. Whatever Coach Eric Kessler said in the locker room seemed to light a fire under his team, because the Defenders held Sacred Heart to six points on 2-for-22 shooting — including 1-for-19 from 3 — in the second half.

Archangels Catholic scored 30 in the final 16 minutes to turn the halftime deficit into a 21-point rout.

Senior Brenden Johannes and junior Ethan Wieseler scored 10 points apiece and combined for 21 rebounds to lead Archangels Catholic. The Defenders out-rebounded the Irish 43-28 and won the second-chance points battle 19-5.

No. 3 St. Mary’s 56, No. 6 Wynot 42

The rematch of last year’s championship game saw a similar result as the Cardinals closed out the day at the Devaney Center with a double-digit win.

St. Mary’s outscored Wynot 30-15 in the first half then cruised through the second en route to a semifinal berth. The Cardinals held the Blue Devils to 27.6% shooting and outscored them by 18 points from the 3-point line.

Senior Gage Hedstrom led St. Mary’s with 19 points on 6-of-10 from the field (4-of-6 from 3) and 3-of-4 from the line and nine rebounds. Junior Logan Brabec added 14 points, six assists and four rebounds while shooting 4-for-9 from deep.

Senior Kotner Koch was the lone Blue Devil in double figures, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Wynot went 7-for-21 from the free-throw line.

St. Mary’s will face No. 2 Archangels Catholic in Friday’s semifinal at the Devaney Center set for a 10:45 a.m. tipoff.

 

Class C2

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The Yutan Chieftains celebrate with their fans after their quarterfinal win over EMF. Photo by Benson Hoegh.

No. 1 Yutan 62, No. 8 Exeter-Milligan-Friend 40

Yutan’s star duo of junior Ryan Maguire and senior Isaac Couch nearly outscored the Bobcats by themselves as the Chieftains held EMF to 26.9% shooting for the game to advance.

Maguire, a 6-foot- guard, dropped 20 points and 18 rebounds while Couch added 17 points on 6-of-12 from the field (2-of-4 from 3) and 3-of-4 from the line.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the game, but the Chieftains closed the first period on a 14-3 run then outscored EMF 20-8 in the second quarter to double up the Bobcats at the half, 36-18. The lead swelled to 24 in the third quarter before Yutan cruised through the fourth.

EMF’s Grady Bresson capped his junior season with 16 points and 12 rebounds while fellow junior A.J. Mueller chipped in 10 points and nine boards.

No. 5 Norfolk Catholic 48, No. 4 North Bend Central 40

The Knights overcame a scoreless first quarter by dominating the last three periods to advance to the semifinals.

Norfolk Catholic went 0-for-9 from the field and 0-for-10 from the line in the first quarter then missed its first shot of the second as the Tigers took a 15-0 lead 20 seconds into the period.

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Norfolk Catholic senior Gavin Schutt dribbles up the floor against North Bend Central. Photo by Benson Hoegh.

However, senior Nathan Timmerman hit a pair of free throws to take the lid off the rim, and the Knights rolled from there. They poured in 18 points in the second quarter to pull within three at halftime then outscored the Tigers 23-13 in the third.

North Bend Central trimmed a seven-point deficit to four midway through the fourth, but Norfolk Catholic shut the Tigers out the rest of the way as they missed their last seven shots.

Norfolk Catholic shot 17-for-27 (63%) from the field over the final three quarters while holding North Bend Central to 27.3% shooting for the game. The Knights’ efficiency from the field made up for an 11-for-33 effort from the foul line.

Senior Gavin Schutt led the Knights with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Timmerman added 11 points, four rebounds and three steals.

Koda Baehr was the lone Tiger in double figures with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Norfolk Catholic will face No. 1 Yutan in Friday’s semifinals, with tipoff set for 1:30 p.m. at the Devaney Center.

No. 2 Bergan Catholic 71, No. 7 Pender 43

The reigning champs gradually outpaced the Pendragons in the first half then blew the game open in the second to make their return to the semifinals.

Four Knights scored in double figures as Bergan shot 51.9% from the field, 48.9% from 3 and 76.9% from the line while holding the Pendragons to 25.5% shooting.

Junior Cale Sheets (18 points, 4-of-9 from 3, six rebounds) and senior Gavin Baker (18 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and four assists) led the way. Junior Trent Mlnarik added 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Trey Mooney chipped in 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Senior Carter Hansen led Pender with 17 points on 6-of-8 from the field (2-of-2 from 3) and 3-of-4 from the line. Junior Zander Welsh added 12 points and Trevor Trimble 10.

No. 6 Freeman 57, No. 3 Valentine 56, OT

Senior Easton Buss scored with less than a second remaining in overtime to send his team to the semifinals.

Buss flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals to go with the game-winner. Fellow senior Keegan White matched him with 12 points and 10 rebounds for his own double-double. Senior Owen Buss added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Valentine trailed for much of the first half and ended the second quarter on a three-minute scoring drought as the Falcons took a 27-18 lead into halftime. However, the Badgers found their stride in the second half, scoring 20 points in the third, including the last five, to pull within two.

Valentine’s defense took over in the fourth as the Badgers held the Falcons to two points in the first six and a half minutes, rallying to take the lead on a Trystan Beebout 3-pointer midway through the period.

Buss finally ended the Freeman drought with a 3 with 90 seconds to play, but Caden Stankoski answered with one of his own to give Valentine a two-point lead with just over a minute to play in regulation. After trading empty possessions, sophomore Jayden Wiese followed a White miss with a tip-in at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

The lead changed hands a few times in the extra period with Beebout putting Valentine in front with 90 seconds to play. Four straight empty possessions followed, the last a pair of missed free throws from Valentine with less than 10 seconds to play. Barrett Ideus cleared the board and passed it ahead to Easton Buss, who dribble past two Badgers and finished over a third at the rim for the game winner.

Valentine was without 6-foot-6 senior Isaac Cronin (22.4 points per game) because of an ankle injury suffered on Saturday, a brutal blow for the Badgers. Without the Class C2 field’s leading scorer, Dominic Beebout led the way with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists. Trystan Beebout added 13 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Freeman advances to Friday’s semifinals at the Devaney Center and will face No. 2 Bergan Catholic at 3:15 p.m.

 

Class A

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Westside senior Montae Brown claps his hands on defense against Lincoln High. He hit the go-ahead free throws with 16.9 to go. Photo by Jack Stephens.

No. 1 Omaha Westside 61, No. 8 Lincoln High 58

The Warriors pulled off a furious fourth-quarter rally to survive an upset bid by the Links and advance to the semifinals.

Things looked dire for the Warriors as the Links closed the first half on a 13-4 run to take an eight-point edge into halftime then scored on their first seven possession of the third quarter to build an eighteen-point lead halfway through.

Westside only trimmed the margin to 15 going into the fourth, but whatever Coach Jim Simons said in the huddle seemed to fire up the Warriors. They ripped off a 20-4 run to take a 53-52 lead on a Montae Brown 3-pointer with just over three minutes to play.

Lincoln High senior Jaxyn Cruse, who sparked the Links to the big lead with his mid-range mastery, took the lead right back with an elbow pull-up, then junior Russell Rucks III tacked on two free throws. After trading trips to the line, junior London Dada got a piece of the paint then hit a turn-around fadeaway to pull Westside within one with just under a minute remaining.

Senior Emre Gedik fought over a screen and forced a turnover, then Brown handled backcourt pressure and drew a foul with 16.9 to go. He sank both shots to give the Warriors the lead. On the other end, Lincoln High got a look at the rim, but Rucks wasn’t able to convert and Will Preston secured the rebound before a foul with 1.2 remaining. The senior Hampton commit hit both freebies to make it a three-point game and sophomore Darien Jenkins picked off the deep in-bounds pass as the buzzer sounded.

In total, Westside outscored Lincoln high 28-10 in the fourth quarter after mustering just 33 points in the first three periods. The Warriors shot 7-for-12 in the fourth, including two big 3s from Dada, and went 11-for-13 at the foul line.

Dada led the Warriors with 18 points (including eight in the fourth quarter) despite playing with the flu. Preston notched a double-double with 12 points on 4-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line, 12 rebounds (five offensive), three assists and three blocks. Gedik scored nine of his 10 points in the final period. Brown finished with nine points on 2-of-4 from deep and 3-of-4 from the line. Westside turned 15 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.

Cruse led Lincoln High with 20 points. Senior Brady Nick added 17 on 7-of-11 from the field (2-of-3 from 3) and 1-of-2 from the line plus four assists. Rucks totaled 16 points and four steals.

No. 4 Lincoln Southwest 81, No. 5 Millard North 71

A career-best performance from junior Dakari Wilson, including a huge fourth quarter, vaulted the Silver Hawks into the semifinals, marking the first LPS state tournament win over an Omaha Metro team since 2019.

Southwest trailed by one heading into the fourth quarter, but the Silver Hawks outscored the Mustangs 26-15 in the fourth as Wilson went 4-for-4 from deep, launching from all over the court.

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Lincoln Southwest junior Dakari Wilson celebrates against Millard North. He scored a career-high 26 points in the win. Photo by Koby Meyers.

The junior finished with a career-high 26 points and four steals while shooting 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-11 from deep. Senior Uzziah Sanders matched him with 26, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and no turnovers. His twin brother Makkiah added 21 points on 9-of-14 from the field and 3-of-5 from the line with four rebounds and four assists.

Lincoln Southwest outscored Millard North 46-28 in the paint and 22-6 off turnovers as the Silver Hawks created 15 takeaways while only turning it over five times themselves.

The game saw 10 lead changes and seven ties before Southwest took control in the fourth. Millard North put up 25 points in the second quarter thanks largely to a 3-point heater from senior Coriahnn Gallatin (4-of-5 from deep in the period) plus two more 3s from junior Jaden Albert off the bench.

However, the Mustangs went cold in the third quarter and the Sanders twins took over, combining for 18 of Southwest’s 21 points to pull the Silver Hawks within one heading into the fourth.

Southwest got big minutes off the bench in the second half from junior Crayton Meyer (five points in the fourth and four rebounds) and sophomore Landen Byleen (a 3-pointer and a steal) when starters Kobi Kerr and LeVonte Crocket both picked up their fourth foul in the third quarter.

Gallatin led the Mustangs with 15 points and four assists while fellow senior Trevor Bailey matched him with 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Senior Major Mosser added 14 points, nine assists and four steals.

The Silver Hawks advance to the semifinals to face No. 1 Omaha Westside, a rematch from the Silver Hawks’ first loss of the season. Tipoff on Friday is set for 1:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

No. 2 Bellevue West 79, No. 7 Papillion-La Vista 68

Bellevue West’s junior backcourt took over in the second half to power the Thunderbirds to a quarterfinal victory.

Brayden Mauro and Bryce Johnson Jr. scored 30 of their combined 44 points in the second half as the Thunderbirds outscored the Monarchs 48-30 in the final 16 minutes.

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Bellevue West point guard Bryce Johnson Jr. drives against Papillion-La Vista senior Cedrick Williams. Photo by Jack Stephens.

Mauro finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 from the field (3-of-4 from 3) and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Johnson added 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting including 1-of-2 from deep, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Sophomore Keaton Melcher scored 12 points and senior Carsen Schultz chipped in 11 off the bench, shooting 2-for-3 from deep and 5-for-5 from the line.

Bellevue West shot 52% from the field, 53.3% from 3 and 76% from the foul line in the game, which including a 61.5% mark from the field in the second half.

The first half saw six lead changes and five ties, with Papillion-La Vista clinging to a 20-19 lead after one. Bellevue West briefly took the lead in the second quarter, but Papio responded with a 9-0 run to build a seven-point lead, and the Monarchs took a seven-point edge into halftime.

The Thunderbirds chipped away at the lead over the first half of the third then hit the Monarchs with a 12-2 run in the back half, pouring in 27 points to take a 58-54 lead into the fourth. Papillion-La Vista cut it to two early in the final period, but Bellevue West gradually pulled away over the last six minutes.

Junior Preston Avalon led the Monarchs with 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds. Senior DeMarcus McCarty and junior Sam Boudreau scored 15 apiece, combining for five 3-pointers. Papio shot 3-for-11 from 3 after halftime.

No. 6 Papillion-La Vista South 57, No. 3 Creighton Prep 48

The Titans capped the day at Pinnacle bank Arena with the first seed line upset in Class A, sinking their free throws late to seal a victory over Creighton Prep.

Torran Carter-Brown went off in the first half, Max Jungers took over in the second half, but the Junior Jays couldn’t find enough offense around them to advance. The Titan s survived despite going 1-for-11 from the field in the final period.

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Papillion-La Vista South junior Levi Webb flashes the Ws as he runs off the court following the Titans win over Creighton Prep. Photo by Jack Stephens.

Creighton Prep trailed by as much as 10 in the third quarter and by nine with just under five minutes to play, but the Junior Jays rallied to make it a one-possession game late. Jungers hit a pair of free throws with 52.8 to cut it to three. The Junior Jays got a stop and Jungers drew a foul on the rebound, earning two more free throws with 25.4 to go.

However, he missed both and the Titans went 6-for-6 at the line the rest of the way to seal the victory. In all, Papio South shot 11-for-13 in the fourth quarter.

Senior Connor Falkinburg led the way with 17 points on 6-for-12 from the field, including 5-for-10 from deep, plus six rebounds. Junior Levi Webb matched him with 17 points and six boards while dishing out five assists. Senior Grant Beckenhauer chipped in 10 points and three assists.

Carter-Brown hit two 3s in the final 40 seconds of the first quarter to give Prep a 16-10 lead, then he opened the second period with another triple to extend the lead to nine. However, the Titans turned the tables with a 15-0 run as Falkinburg caught fire. Jungers finally ended the three-minute scoring drought with a layup, then a pair of Carter-Brown jumpers sandwiched a 3 from Webb to make it 31-28 Titans at halftime.

Papio South opened the second half with back-to-back 3s from Beckenhauer and senior Brady Alderson to push the lead back to nine and the Titans never trailed again, despite multiple Junior Jay pushes.

Carter-Brown, a senior, led Prep with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists, shooting 8-of-16 from the field (5-of-9 from 3). Jungers, a junior, added 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting (2-of-4 from deep). Eighteen of Carter-Brown’s points came in the first half while Jungers scored 14 in the second.

Papillion-La Vista South advances to the semifinals and will face No. 2 Bellevue West at 3:15 p.m. on Friday inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

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