The quarterfinal round of the 2026 NSAA Girls Basketball State Championships rolled on Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Devaney Center in Lincoln.
Twelve teams punched their tickets to the semifinals on Wednesday, with 12 more berths up for grabs. We’ll have rolling updates throughout the day from both facilities and plenty more coverage on our NebPreps social feeds.
CLASS D1
No. 1 Bloomfield 73, Arapahoe 52
The Queen Bess secured their first state tournament victory in 47 years to start the action at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and they did so in impressive fashion.
Bloomfield poured in 26 points in the first quarter and never looked back, leading by as much as 33 in the fourth quarter before emptying its bench. The Bees shot 51.9% from the field for the game and were close to 58% through the first three quarters. They shot 37.5% from deep and knocked down nine triples while also scoring 38 points in the paint.
Defensively, the Queen Bees’ swarmed the Warriors from the opening tip, forcing 29 turnovers and holding them to 35.2% from the field.
Sophomore Madyson Mlady made a fantastic first impression at the state tournament, totaling 24 points on 8-of-11 from the field (2-of-2 from 3) and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, 13 rebounds and four steals in just 23 minutes. Her sister Kennedy, a freshman, was on triple-double watch at halftime and finished with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Haley Eisenhauer chipped in 13 points on 50% shooting and four rebounds.
A pair of sophomores led Arapahoe as well as Swayer Shafer followed her big district final performance with 19 points and four 3-pointers in the quarterfinal loss. Suttyn Shafer added 10 points and four assists.
The Sutton Fillies celebrate their quarterfinal win against Amherst. Photo by Mike Sautter.
No. 5 Sutton 48, No. 4 Amherst 33
The Fillies dominated the last 19 minutes of action to race past the Broncos and into the semifinals.
Freshman Brynlee Maddox drilled a 3 with three minutes to go in the first half to give Amherst a 20-16 lead. From that point on, Sutton outscored the Broncos 32-13 to secure a stress-free win in the fourth quarter.
Sutton held Amherst to 19.2% shooting overall including 4-for-28 in the second half, overcoming 23 turnovers with a staunch defensive effort.
Senior center Miranda Nuss was a force inside, finishing with a game-high 17 points on 70% shooting and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Isabella Trejo provided a spark off the bench with eight points in 14 minutes, shooting 2-of-5 from deep and 2-of-2 from the line.
Mattox led the Broncos with 11 points and three steals.
Sutton moves on to Friday’s semifinals to face No. 1 Bloomfield at the Devaney Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Miranda Nuss delivered the and-1 play and got her coach hyped. 🤣🤝#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/Qlt7F65i7w
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 5, 2026
No. 2 Elm Creek 47, No. 7 Cross County 21
The Buffaloes came alive offensively in the second half to turn a three-point game at halftime into a rout and claim their place in the semifinals.
Elm Creek led 14-11 at halftime as points were at a premium in the first 16 minutes. The teams combined to shoot 8-for-43 from the field.
The Buffaloes regrouped at halftime and found a rhythm in the third quarter, shooting 50% from the field while continuing to lock up on defense to extend the lead to eight. Then in the fourth, it was all Elm Creek as the Buffaloes held the Cougars without a field goal and outscored them 21-3.
Junior Kendal Cavenee stuffed the stat sheet for Elm Creek with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Fellow junior Chelsea Kottich came up just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Buffaloes held the Cougars to 4-for-38 (10.5%) from the field and forced 19 turnovers.
“We only have two more games left together, so we’re going to enjoy every moment together.”
Elm Creek Coach Jadyn Ehresman had her squad ready to go, outscoring Cross County in the second half 33-10. The Buffaloes went on to win 47-21 in the Class D1 first round.#nebpreps |… pic.twitter.com/WhlAN6uFGX
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2026
No. 6 Howells-Dodge 51, No. 3 Maywood 28
The Jaguars opened the game with a 17-2 run and never looked back on their way to a semifinal berth.
Howells-Dodge shot 51.3% from the field including 5-of-11 from 3 to cap the night in the Devaney Center.
Junior Kylie Brichacek led the Jaguars with 12 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Freshman Brynn Throener matched her with 12 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the field (2-of-5 from 3) while adding five assists and two steals.
Senior Karissa Stengel was the only Wolf in double figures with 10 points and three steals.
CLASS C1
No. 1 Milford 37, No. 8 Central City 34
At the Devaney Center, the top-seeded Eagles had to rely on their defense to earn a trip to Friday’s semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Despite a rough start offensively, Milford finished the first half on a high note then opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run to build a 27-14 lead. The Eagles took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, then the Central City comeback began.
The Bison opened the fourth quarter with a 13-5 run to cut the deficit to two before Abby Crabtree knocked down a 3 for the Eagles with just under three to play in the game. Milford did not score again after that.
Hope Paup scored inside after Crabtree’s 3 to cut it to 37-34 — the final score. Milford held the Bison to 0-for-4 shooting in the final two-and-a-half minutes to maintain the lead. That included star sophomore Shayla Rautenberg blocking a put-back attempt with less than 40 seconds to play and the Eagles forcing an off-balance contested prayer just before the buzzer.
Rautenberg snatched the air-balled shot as time expired, her 18th rebound. She added 10 points for the double-double and five blocks. Frontcourt partner Ashlynn Miller, a junior, scored a team-high 11 points and grabbed six boards. Milford won despite shooting 28.3% from the field.
Junior Hope Paup led Central City with 11 points and six rebounds while sophomore Journi Schindler added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting (2-of-4 from 3) and seven caroms.
“It definitely sharpens you. You get something different from every game.”
Milford coach Bryce Roth talks after the No. 1 Eagles take down No. 8 Central City 37-34 to advance to the program’s second semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/IjwaQlWeTo
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 5, 2026
No. 5 Gothenburg 70, No. 4 Ogallala 63
Senior Halsey Thomalla outscored Ogallala by herself in the second half as the Swedes rallied from a 16-point deficit to win the rubber match and earn a spot in the semifinals.
Gothenburg trailed 44-28 a couple minutes into the third quarter. Then senior Zoe Beveridge hit a pair of free throws, Thomalla converted a three-point play and the comeback was on. The Swedes hit the Indians with a 16-1 run to trim the deficit to one, then Thomalla closed out the period with a bucket to tie it up at 48-all.
Ogallala scored first in the fourth quarter, but Thomalla answered with a personal 11-1 run to give the Swedes an eight-point lead midway through the period, and Gothenburg maintained at least a four-point lead the rest of the way despite Laney Caskey’s best efforts to give her Ogallala team a chance.
Thomalla finished with 32 points on 11-of-13 from the field and 10-of-17 from the foul line plus 12 rebounds. She outscored Ogallala 24-23 on her own after halftime. Beveridge added 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Junior Aniston O’Neill led Ogallala with 20 points and four 3-pointers, but they all came in the first half. Caskey, a senior, added 16 points and 10 boards while fellow senior Addison Slama chipped in 10 points and five steals.
The Swedes advance to Friday’s semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena and will face No. 1 Milford at 9 a.m.
“We just have to have next play mentality and continue to fight. The girls did that.”
Gothenburg coach Tim Strauser talks after the No. 5 Swedes complete a 16-point comeback to down No. 4 Ogallala 70-63. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/MI4BR7IpNE
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 5, 2026
No. 7 Fort Calhoun 57, No. 2 Lincoln Christian 56, OT
It took an extra four minutes, but the Pioneers took down the two-time reigning champion on a bucket from Isabel Wray with five seconds to play to pull off the biggest seed line upset of the tournament thus far.
The largest lead for each team was seven, and the game featured six lead changes and five ties, setting up a thrilling finish. Lincoln Christian senior Jessa Hueser knocked down a 3 with just over a minute remaining in regulation to tie it up at 53-all.
Both teams earned trips to the free-throw line after that, and both went 0-for-2. Fort Calhoun turned it over then Lincoln Christian didn’t get a shot off on the final possession, sending the game to overtime.
Each team scored once in the first three minutes of the extra period, then Lexi Pittenger split a pair of free throws to break the tie with 48 seconds to play. Once again, the teams traded empty trips to the foul line, giving the Pioneers the ball with less than 10 seconds to play. Off the push, Maelie Nelson tried to get a shot up but Sam Dearking swatted it out of bounds with six seconds to play.
On the ensuing in-bounds play under the basket, Raeann Massey tossed it up and Wray redirected it into the basket.
Fort Calhoun’s Isabel Wray hit an OT buzzer-beater to upset the back-to-back champions Lincoln Christian, 57-56🚨#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/7DBACVlkaY
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 5, 2026
The Pioneers overcame 19 turnovers by holding the Crusaders to 35.7% from the field. Sophomore Dehlia Hallberg stepped up with the team’s leading scorer, Ansley Elofson, dealing with foul trouble. The senior grabbed 12 rebounds but fouled out in just 21 minutes. Hallberg filled the void with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench. Massey added 10 points, five boards and five assists while the game-winner for Wray capped a nine-point effort, also off the bench.
Hueser led Lincoln Christian with 17 points and seven rebounds while Dearking, a sophomore, added 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
“It was never going to slip through our fingers. We believed.”
Fort Calhoun coach Eric Jones talks after the No. 7 Pioneers take down No. 2 Lincoln Christian 57-56 in overtime to advance to the Class C1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/MkTwIrHp2q
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 5, 2026
No. 3 Malcolm 56, No. 6 Holdrege 36
The Clippers led for all but 26 seconds and pulled away late in the final Class C1 quarterfinal at the Devaney Center.
Malcolm doubled up the Dusters 16-8 in the first quarter, though Holdrege fought back into it in the second, cutting the deficit to two midway through. However, the Clippers closed the half with a 7-0 run then scored the first five points of the second half to build a double-digit lead.
Holdrege cut it to seven again a minute and a half into the fourth, but the Dusters missed their last nine shots and Malcolm closed the game on a 13-0 run to make it a 20-point victory.
One year watching the state tournament from the stands while recovering from the injury that cost her the whole 2024-25 season, Malcolm senior and Omaha commit Halle Dolliver picked up where she left off in March of 2024 with 22 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Her sister Payton, a sophomore, poured in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 from the field (2-of-2 from 3) with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Sophomore Gracie Johnson led Holdrege with 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
The Clippers will face No. 7 Fort Calhoun in Friday’s semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with tipoff set for 10:45 a.m.
“It’s a very talented group. Just keep working with them to try to help them get better and not try to get in the way too much.”
Malcolm Coach Dennis Prichard talks after the Clippers’ 56-36 win over Holdrege to advance to the Class C1 semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/e9E5SdBJAB
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2026
CLASS B
The Norris bench celebrates against Blair. Photo by Jack Stephens.
No. 1 Norris 64, No. 8 Blair 33
The top-seeded Titans displayed rare shooting efficiency in a blowout win over Blair in the first game of the Class B quarterfinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
After narrowly escaping against Blair in the regular season, 37-35, the Titans raced out to a 12-2 lead and never looked back, leading 22-4 after one and 38-13 at halftime. For the game, Norris shot 52.3% from the field, 50% from 3 and 90.9% from the free-throw line, and that includes the last few minutes after the Titans emptied their bench.
Junior Landri Gates scored eight points during that 12-2 start and totaled 10 points in five minutes on the court before picking up her second foul and taking a seat. However, the Titans didn’t miss a beat with their leading scorer on the bench.
Senior Ize Tidball took over and finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line. Junior Marlee Emerson chipped in 11 points on 4-of-8 from the field (3-of-5 from 3) and three assists. Ten different Titans scored.
PASS. SCORE. REPEAT. 🔥
Norris made it look easy, dominating their first state matchup over Blair 64-33. Norris will look to play the winner of No. 4 Gretna East and No. 5 Sidney.⁰⁰#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/1gEBRdDerc
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 5, 2026
No. 4 Gretna East 54, No. 5 Sidney 41
The Griffins used a strong third quarter to take control against the Red Raiders then cruised through the fourth quarter and into the semifinals.
Gretna East junior Madi Shelburne brings the ball up the floor against Sidney. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
The first half saw seven lead changes and four ties, but the Griffins took a 26-25 lead into the break. Gretna East scored first in the third, but Sidney junior Jordynn Schnell hit a pair of free throws to cut it back to one a couple minutes in.
Then the Griffins took over. Gretna East put together a 12-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to build an 11-point lead before the teams traded buckets in the final 30 seconds to make it 42-31 Griffins heading into the fourth.
Sidney made a push early in the final period, pulling within five, but Gretna East responded with a 7-0 run (four by freshman Elayne Graver and a three-point play by junior Madi Shelburne) and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Shelburne did a bit of everything for the Griffins, finishing with a game-high 15 points, 11 rebounds (including five offensive), five assists, two steals and two blocks. Graver added 12 points on 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from the line. Gretna East’s aggressive defensive and up-tempo offense resulted in 14 takeaways, 27 points off turnovers, 11 fast-break points and 32 points in the paint for the Griffins.
Sophomore Laramey Misegadis led the Lady Raiders with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Griffins will take on top-seeded Norris in Friday’s semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
No. 2 Bennington 62, No. 7 Scottsbluff 42
The Bearcats gave the Badgers a fight early, but Bennington eventually wore them down and pulled away to earn a return trip to the semifinals.
Scottsbluff scored the first six points of the game and led for more than eight of the 16 first-half minutes. The Badgers didn’t take their first lead until nearly halfway through the second quarter, but when they did, they kept their foot on the pedal, closing the half on a 12-2 run to take a 29-21 lead into the break.
The Bearcats made a push early in the third, pulling to within six, but Bennington responded with a 13-0 run and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Bennington sophomore Macie Reiner got into the paint almost at will and produced plenty of good looks for her teammates in addition to generating her own offense. She finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals while defending Scottsbluff’s Ava Reed, one of Class B’s top scorers.
Sophomore Allie John contributed 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks off the bench while junior Skylar Johnson chipped in 11 points of her own. The Badgers held the Bearcats to 34% from the field and forced 21 turnovers, including 13 steals.
Reed led the Bearcats with 12 points, five rebounds and four steals in her final game in a Scottsbluff jersey.
“I thought once our girls [got settled in], we definitely were able to focus in.”
Bennington coach John O’Connor talks after the No. 2 Badgers punch their ticket to the Class B semifinals with a 62-42 win over No. 7 Scottsbluff. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/gHqqmGzxg5
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2026
No. 3 Lincoln Pius X 38, No. 6 Beatrice 24
On a night when shots wouldn’t fall on either end, the Thunderbolts dominated the glass to pull out a grinder against the Lady Orange.
Lincoln Pius X junior Kendal Heimes surveys the floor against Beatrice. Photo by Jackson Luethje.
The Thunderbolts outrebounded Beatrice 18-6 on the offensive end and earned a 12-2 advantage in second-chance points in a game that saw both teams shoot under 30% from the field.
Pius X jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game and took a 15-7 edge into the second period. The Bolts scored just two points in the second period but held Beatrice to five as the teams combined for two field goals in eight minutes.
The Lady Orange made a push in the third quarter, pulling within two at 18-16, but the Thunderbolts responded with back-to-back buckets then outscored Beatrice 13-6 in the fourth quarter.
Junior Kendal Heimes scored six of her game-high 11 points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. She also pulled down eight rebounds. Senior Kate Miller added nine points and nine rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Junior Austin Davis corralled a team-high 13 rebounds, including six on offense.
Senior Sophie Gleason led the Lady Orange with nine points on 3-of-7 from 3-point range while fellow senior Callie Schwisow added eight points and matched Davis for game-high honors with 13 rebounds.
Lincoln Pius X moves on to Friday’s semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena and will face No. 2 Bennington at 7:45 p.m.
“A win’s a win. Any win down here is a good one.”
Lincoln Pius X coach Ryan Psota talks after the No. 3 Thunderbolts take down No. 6 Beatrice 38-24 to move on to the Class B semifinals. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/L5m3koDUpW
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2026
