The Nebraska Girls Basketball State Tournament rolled on Thursday with day two of the quarterfinals including two Class D1 games and four Class B games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
CLASS D1
No. 1 Pender 54, No. 8 Bancroft-Rosalie 29
The Pendragons nearly tripled the Panthers’ production in the second quarter (20-7) to build a 19-point lead at halftime then cruised through the second half to earn their spot in the semifinals.
Senior Avery Wegner led Pender with 15 points while junior Maya and sophomore Madalyn Dolliver scored 14 points apiece. The trio combined to shoot 18-of-24 from the foul line while the younger Dolliver knocked down four 3-pointers.
Senior Samryn Dick led Bancroft-Roaslie with nine points.
No. 4 O’Neill St. Mary’s 53, No. 5 McCool Junction 40
St. Mary’s took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter then outscored McCool Junction 20-11 in the final period, shooting 11-of-15 from the foul line to secure the victory and advance to the semifinals.
Senior Mya Hedstrom led the Cardinals with 25 points, scoring 11 of her team’s 13 in the first quarter to set the tone. Fellow senior Lorissa Reiman scored six of her 14 in the fourth quarter to help close it out.
Senior McKenna Yates led the Mustangs with 11 points.
St. Mary’s will take on top-seeded Pender, the reigning champion, in Friday’s semifinals with tipoff set for 9 a.m. at the Devaney Center.
Devaney Center Results:
>> No. 2 Guardian Angels Central Catholic 70, No. 7 Centura 27: Senior Jocelynn Skoda led four Bluejays in double figures with 16 points.
>> No. 3 Southern Valley 50, No. 6 Elgin Public/Pope John 39: Juniors Adi Hunt (16 points) and Vanessa Aguayo Limon (15) led the way for the Eagles.
CLASS B
No. 1 Skutt Catholic 66, No. 8 South Sioux City 32
Skutt junior Molly Ladwig outscored the Cardinals by herself through three quarters as the SkyHawks triggered a running clock midway through the third en route to a 34-point victory.
The SkyHawks forced 10 first-quarter turnovers and raced out to a 27-7 lead after one to take firm control, which they never relinquished.
Ladwig finished with 27 points on 10-of-19 from the field (4-of-8 from 3) and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line with three assists and three steals. Fellow junior Kamryn Kasner was a force on the boards, grabbing 11 of them (including eight on the offensive end) while chipping in seven points on 3-of-3 shooting and 1-of-2 foul shooting.
Skutt Catholic is heading to the semifinals. @avariehoward31 spoke with Coach Colony following the 66-32 win over South Sioux City. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/sikdQXuPmf
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 29, 2024
No. 4 Gretna East 51, No. 5 Waverly 37
The Griffins used a strong defensive effort in the second half to secure their first state tournament victory in the school’s first year.
Waverly shot 6-for-12 from deep in the first half to take a 24-20 lead into halftime, but Gretna East ripped off a 14-2 run in the third quarter to take control and extended its lead throughout the fourth quarter.
Gretna East gave up just 13 points and four made field goals in the second half.
Junior Sonora DeFini led the Griffins with 16 points, 14 rebounds (four offensive), five steals and two blocks. Fellow junior Karli Williams also had a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds (six offensive) and three steals.
Juniors Parker Christiansen (12 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three steals) and Anastyn Harms (12 points, 4-of-9 from 3, three assists) led the way for the Vikings.
History for @GretnaEastGBB ‼️
Gretna East defeats Waverly 51-37 in the quarterfinals for their first state tournament win in the school’s first year. @annaambrose76 spoke with Sonora DeFini after the win. pic.twitter.com/YZlw85wSpv
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) February 29, 2024
The Griffins will take on No. 1 Skutt in Friday’s semifinals with tipoff set for 1:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
No. 2 Elkhorn North 63, No. 7 Scottsbluff 44
Husker signee Britt Prince climbed into second place on Nebraska’s career scoring chart and Elkhorn North ran away from Scottsbluff in the second half to earn a trip to the semifinals.
With her first point of the second quarter, Prince passed Grand Island Central Catholic standout KC Cowgill and her 2,427 points to move into second place. She went on to score a lot more after that, however, finishing with 33 points in addition to 16 rebounds and five assists.
Marly Laucomer knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to tie the game up at 13-all after one, then the Bearcats opened the second quarter with an 8-1 run to surge ahead.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Elkhorn North closed the half on a 14-0 run to take a 28-21 lead at halftime, then the Wolves doubled the Bearcats up in the third, 20-10, with Prince scoring 13 by herself to stretch it out.
Colorado State signee McKenna Murphy added 20 points and four rebounds for the Wolves.
Prince’s big game gave her 2,453 career points heading into the semifinals. Chambers alumna Darcy Stracke is sitting comfortably in first place with 2,752.
Seniors Paige Horne and Allie Darnell scored 10 points apiece to lead the Bearcats with Horne adding seven rebounds and three steals.
Elkhorn North advances! @avariehoward spoke with @McKennaMurphy31 following the win over Scottsbluff. #nebpreps | @ElkNorthGBB pic.twitter.com/c81N4G31CM
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 1, 2024
No. 6 Beatrice 50, No. 49 Norris
The Lady Orange raced out to a 16-3 lead and spent most of the game with a double-digit lead… until the fourth quarter.
The Titans went into the final period facing a 14-point deficit, having scored just 30 points in the first three quarters. Then their offense came alive. Six different Titans found the scoring column as Norris ripped off a 19-4 run to take the lead.
After trailing all game, freshman Landri Gates stole the ball from a Beatrice player and took it the other way for the go-ahead layup with 1:12 to play. On defense, Nicole Keetle made an incredible play to block a Beatrice 3-pointer late in the shot clock, but the Titans gave the ball back via a turnover with 25.2 to play.
Beatrice put the ball in its own freshman’s hands and Alijah Stabler delivered, drawing a foul on a drive to the basket and hitting both free throws to put the Lady Orange back in front with 13.5 to play.
Norris passed the ball around against Beatrice’s pressure until it found its way into freshman Marlee Emerson’s hands. With nobody else open and the clock running down, Emerson spun past her defender and threw up a floater that was just a little off, and the comeback came up short.
Beatrice led by as much as 15 in the second quarter before Gates and Emerson provided a spark, scoring 12 of Norris’s 14 points in the period to pull the Titans within 10 at the break. Stabler and senior Addie Hatcliff combined for 10 points in the third to push the lead back to 44-30 heading into the fourth, but they both picked up their fourth foul as well and had to navigate that challenge in the final eight minutes.
Hatlciff led all scorers with 15 points while Stabler added 12.
Gates led Norris with 10 points, four rebounds and two steals while senior Grayson Piening added nine points and four boards.
Beatrice advances to Friday’s semifinals, where the Lady Orange will take on No. 2 Elkhorn North at 3:15 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
