The quarterfinals of the 2025 NSAA Girls Basketball State Championship rolled on Thursday with Class D2, Class C2 and Class B games at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Devaney Center.
CLASS D2
No. 8 Wilcox-Hildreth 49, No. 1 Shelton 40
Shelton dropped its season-opener to Class D1 semifinalist Elm Creek, then proceeded to win 25 straight games to earn the top seed in D2 for the state tournament. On Thursday, Wilcox-Hildreth snapped that streak as the No. 8 seed to advance to the semifinals.
Senior Madison Bunger — the team’s all-time leading scorer — put together a dominant performance in the middle for the Falcons, finishing with a game-high 17 points on 4-of-8 from the field and 9-of-13 from the line, nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. Freshman Camryn Bunger added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Falcons gave the Bulldogs problems with their 2-3 zone all game, holding Shelton to 31% shooting to win each quarter.
Katelyn Bunger scored with a few seconds left in the first quarter to give the Falcons a 12-11 lead, then they held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first 5:16 of the second period to build an 18-11 advantage.
Wilcox-Hildreth led by five at halftime, stretched it out to 10 late in the third quarter then opened the fourth with a 7-1 run to take its largest lead of the game at 42-28 with five minutes to go.
Shelton ripped off a quick 8-0 run over the next two minutes to pull within six, but the Falcons made enough plays (and free throws) down the stretch to secure the victory.
Erin Gegg was the only Bulldog in double figures, finishing with 13 points.
“They know why we’re down here.”
Wilcox-Hildreth coach @Coach_Whipkey talks about the Falcons’ 49-40 upset over No. 1 Shelton to advance to the Class D2 semifinals.#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/2mtotXYyWY
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2025
No. 4 Dorchester 38, No. 5 Silver Lake 37
The Longhorns put on a defensive clinic for much of the second half then weathered a late rally from the Mustangs to advance to the semifinals.
Senior Baylor Behrens led the way for Dorchester with 20 points on 6-of-7 from the field and 8-of-13 from the line, six rebounds and two blocks.
Silver Lake led by one at the end of the first quarter and by two at halftime. Three ties and a couple lead changes took place early in the third period, then Silver Lake proceeded to miss 19 straight field goal attempts.
Dorchester used an 11-0 run spanning nearly 10 minutes of game time to build a 36-28 lead with just over a minute to go.
Out of a timeout, Katy Soucek scored inside to end the drought and spark a 6-0 Silver Lake run in about 30 seconds to make it a two-point game with 41 seconds remaining. Dorchester split a pair of free throws to push it back to three, then Soucek drew a foul inside. She hit both free throws, but an official called a lane violation on the second, wiping away the shot and maintaining the two-point lead.
Behrens split a pair of free throws to push it back to 3, and Silver Lake’s attempt at the tie didn’t fall. Without enough time remaining to find another shooter, KcKenna Pancocke scored the put-back as time expired to create the final margin. Silver Lake finished 0-for-21 from deep.
Sophie Schmidt led the Mustangs with 13 points.
Dorchester will face No. 8 Wilcox-Hildreth in Friday’s semifinals with tipoff set for 6 p.m. CT at the Devaney Center.
“Hopefully we got all the nerves out of the way.”
Dorchester’s @CoachBruhaDHS spoke on the Longhorns’ first ever state tournament win after taking down Silver Lake 38-37. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/GWhSznqcSf
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2025
Results from the Devaney Center:
>> No. 2 Falls City Sacred Heart 57, No. 7 Anselmo-Merna: Sacred Heart held the Coyotes to 26.3% from the field and forced 20 turnovers to punch its ticket to the semifinals. Junior Avery Santo led all scorers with 19 points plus four steals while senior Jentry Lechtenberg notched a double-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three steals for the Irish.
>> No. 6 Archangels Catholic 44, No. 3 O’Neill St. Mary’s 38: The Defenders held the Cardinals to two points in the final 4:46 to stretch a one-point lead into a six-point win and advance to the semifinals. Senior Isabel Preister led three Defenders in double figures, finishing with 12 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Junior Gracie Williamson notched her own double-double with 18 points and 10 boards for St. Mary’s. Archangels (formerly known as Humphrey St. Francis) will face Sacred Heart in the state tournament for the fourth straight year on Friday. Tipoff of the semifinal is set for 7:45 p.m. at the Devaney Center.
CLASS B
No. 1 Skutt Catholic 43, No. 8 Norris 32
Skutt Catholic locked down on defense in the second half as the SkyHawks’ senior star carried them into the semifinals.
There was a lid on the rim for Skutt senior and Buffalo signee Molly Ladwig in the first half. Class B’s leading scorer shot 1-for-10 and only had four points at halftime. Norris closed the first half on a 12-0 run, all on 3-pointers — two from Marlee Emerson, one from Landri Gates and a bank at the buzzer from Roselynn Madsen — to take a 26-17 lead into the locker room.
Ladwig missed her first shot of the third quarter as well, then she finally got one to go down through contact for an and-one, and that’s all she needed. Skutt opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run to take the lead.
Norris senior Ize Tidball responded with a personal 6-2 run in a 90-second span to put the Titans back up by three heading into the fourth, but Ladwig had found a rhythm and scored 11 of Skutt’s 12 in the period.
The final quarter belonged entirely to the SkyHawks and Ladwig. Skutt held Norris scoreless (0-of-6 shooting, eight turnovers) while Ladwig poured in 12 more points including a pair of shot clock-beating 3s off the dribble.
Ladwing scored 23 of the 32 combined points in the second half to finish with 27 and seven rebounds. Fellow senior Kamryn Kasner added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Tidball led Norris with 10 points and three steals.
“There is always butterflies playing in a big arena.”
Skutt Catholic coach @kctarheel10 speaks on the SkyHawks’ 43-32 first round win over Norris. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/iH1SpQhwdu
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2025
No. 4 Bennington 64, No. 5 Sidney 48
Bennington caught fire from 3 and made its free throws to pull away from Sidney in the second half and advance to the semifinals.
Senior Presley Baca and sophomore Harper Bohaboj led the Badgers with 15 points apiece and freshman Macie Reiner chipped in 12 points off the bench while shooting 10-of-12 at the line. Bennington forced 27 turnovers, shot 77.8% from the foul line and outscored Sidney 15-0 from the 3-point line to offset a rough offensive game overall.
The first half was a grinder as the teams combined to shoot 0-for-16 from deep. Bennington scored the last four points of the half from the foul line to take a 28-23 lead at the break.
Sidney pulled within one again early in the third quarter, then the lid came off the rim for the Badgers. Bennington used a 12-2 run featuring three 3s and a three-point play to build a double-digit lead then stretched it out further from there.
Sophomore Haydin Jackson knocked down a 3 at the buzzer to send Bennington into the fourth with a 19-point lead. The Badgers went 5-for-9 from deep in the period while the Lady Raiders misfired on all four of their attempts.
The lead reached 22 in the fourth quarter before an 8-0 Lady Raider run, but that’s as close as Sidney got.
Senior Kayla Westby led the Lady Raiders with 14 points while fellow seniors Carli Black and Ryan Dillehay chipped in 10 points apiece.
Bennington will take on No. 1 Skutt Catholic in Friday’s semifinals with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“You’re crazy if you’re not motivated.”
Bennington coach John O’Connor talks about the Badgers’ 64-48 quarterfinal win over Sidney and their upcoming matchup with Skutt Catholic. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/w6bZTS9R3M
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 6, 2025
No. 7 Gretna East 35, No. 2 Lincoln Pius X 28
Lincoln Pius X could not find a way to crack the Gretna East zone in the second half as the Griffins rode a gritty defensive performance into the semifinals.
Gretna East dropped two close ones to Pius during the regular season (43-41 and 46-41) but finally broke through at state for the school’s second tournament win in its second year.
The Thunderbolts had the Griffins doubled up, 18-9, late in the first half. Gretna East scored the last four points of the second period to take some momentum into the locker room then carried it over into the second half.
Ellie Wells scored inside for Pius less than a minute into the third quarter, then the Thunderbolts didn’t score again until the seven-minute mark of the fourth. In total, Gretna East put together a 20-2 run spanning roughly 10 minutes of game time to build a 29-20 lead with seven to play.
The Griffins pushed the advantage to 11 midway through the fourth. Pius responded with five straight, but that’s as close as the Bolts got.
Gretna East finished 3-of-16 from the foul line but held Pius to 23.4% from the field including 2-of-23 from 3. Senior Karli Williams led the way with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks while fellow senior Sonora DeFini added 10 points (including nine of the team’s 13 in the first half) and seven rebounds.
Senior Hannah Bedient finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunderbolts.
“We play 9, 10, 11 kids, and we trust them. We focus on what they can do, not what they can’t do.”
Gretna East coach @WeekdayWade shares his thoughts after the Griffins’ 35-28 win over No. 2 Lincoln Pius X. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/7RoZdKryz4
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 7, 2025
No. 3 Waverly 48, No. 6 York 31
Senior Parker Christiansen was too much for the Dukes to keep up with as Waverly ran away with the game in the second half to advance to the semis.
Christiansen, a 6-foot forward heading to Morningside next year, finished with 28 points on 11-of-19 from the field, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
The game was tied at 10-10 after one and 18-18 at halftime as both teams struggled to make shots in the first 16 minutes. York’s struggles continued in the second half as it took the Dukes more than four minutes to get on the board, allowing the Vikings to surge ahead with a 6-0 run. Christiansen scored with a couple seconds left to put the Vikings up by seven heading into the fourth, then they doubled that lead with a 7-0 start.
Waverly held York to five points in the fourth to seal the victory.
Senior Berkley Lambrecht chipped in 11 points and six boards to give Christiansen some support.
Seniors Chloe Koch (12 points) and Lainey Portwine (11 points) led the way for the Dukes.
Waverly will face No. 7 Gretna East in Friday’s semifinals with tipoff set for 7:45 p.m.
“It was more excitement than relief, I think, at halftime. It was relief once we got going a little bit.”
Waverly coach @Lady_Vike_Bball touched on the Vikings’ 48-31 quarterfinal win over York.#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/lcwI72jtyu
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 7, 2025
Class C2
Results from the Devaney Center:
>> No. 8 Guardian Angels Central Catholic 53, No. 1 Johnson-Brock 38: At the same time Wilcox-Hildreth was upsetting Shelton, GACC was snapping Johnson-Brock’s 25-game winning streak. The Bluejays doubled up the Eagles 16-8 in the first quarter and led the rest of the way as they held the top seed to 25.5% shooting and forced 22 turnovers. Senior Isreia Kreikemeier led the way with 16 points, nine boards and nine steals while freshman Bailey Gerths added 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
>> No. 4 Elkhorn Valley 52, No. 5 Cross County 32: The Falcons improved to 27-0 with a dominant defensive performance, holding the Cougars to 22.2% from the field. Senior Karlee Broberg led the way with 18 points on 50% shooting while fellow senior JJ Black added 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting and five boards. Elkhorn Valley will face No. 8 GACC in Friday’s semifinals, set for 1:30 p.m. CT at the Devaney Center.
>> No. 2 Crofton 53, No. 7 Yutan 28: Crofton used a balanced attack and a strong defensive effort to earn a trip to the semifinals. The Warriors won the first quarter 24-6 and cruised the rest of the way. Sophomore Seanna Pinkelman led the way with 12 points on 100% shooting. Junior Jaisie Jansen added 11 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and four steals. Senior Cassie Allen chipped in 11 points and five steals as the Warriors recorded 19 steals as a team and forced 26 turnovers overall. Junior Mylee Tichota was the lone Chieftain in double figures with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.
>> No. 3 Oakland-Craig 68, No. 6 Homer 43: The Knights built a 25-point lead at the end of the third quarter then cruised through the fourth into the semifinals. Junior Sonya Guzinski led the way with 25 points on 9-of-15 from the field including 7-of-12 from deep, tying the Class C2 single game tournament record for 3s. Senior Adi Rennerfeldt added 17 points on 6-of-10 from the field (1-3 from 3) and 4-of-6 from the line. Freshman Hilary Ray chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. The Knights will face No. 2 Crofton in Friday’s semifinals, set for 3:15 p.m. at the Devaney Center.
