The 2025 NSAA Girls Basketball State Championship concluded on Saturday with six title games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Previous coverage: Quarterfinal Wednesday | Quarterfinal Thursday | Semifinal Friday
Class D1
No. 1 Pender 74, No. 2 Elm Creek 40
One of the best 3-point shooting teams in state history capped its third straight state title with another blistering display from deep.
The Pendragons hit their first eight shots of the game, six of which were 3s and all of which were assisted, to race out to a 22-5 lead four minutes in, and they continued to roll throughout the game.
“We had this goal to start the season, and it was just really good to come out in this game,” Coach Jason Dolliver said. “They worked hard all season long to put on that performance right there. When it starts happening, you’re like ‘OK, yeah, this is what we worked for, this is what we worked for,’ and the shots just kept dropping. It’s so cool to see.
“If anybody knew how much time they put in — I’m sure a lot of people put in time, but these girls put in time like crazy, and when you see something pay off, that’s just so special.”
Junior Madalyn Dolliver, who already held the single-game records for made 3s in a state tournament game (nine) and in any game (13), broke two more records in leading the Pendragons to victory. She finished the tournament 18-for-37 from 3, breaking Kameron Kissinger’s tournament record of 17 made 3s (Hastings St. Cecilia, 2018). Her final 3 also gave her 111 for the season, breaking Brooke Kissinger’s single-season record of 110 (Minden, 2011).
“It’s a moment that I’ll never forget,” Jason Dolliver said of embracing his daughter after her record-breaking final 3. “There were a lot of those in that game. Mady, I just remember her — we’ve got a picture of her by the shooting gun when she was just a little kid, and the number of shots taken was 795, and that was in a one-time setting … It’s indescribable to tell you the emotions that go through when you see hard work pay off, especially when it’s your kids.”
Dolliver finished with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-12 from the field including 6-of-9 from deep.
Junior Hadley Walsh added 23 points on 9-of-13 from the field (3-of-4 from 3) and 2-of-2 from the line, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Senior Maya Dolliver chipped in 14 points, four boards and three assists. The Pendragons shot 13-of-24 (54.2%) from 3 as a team, finishing with 269 3s on the season (third all-time behind 2016-17 Lincoln Christian with 303 and 2021-22 Fremont with 270).
The Pendragons finished 28-2 to repeat as Class D1 champion after starting the title streak in C2 in 2023.
Halle Knapp (12 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Kendal Cavenee (11 points) led the way for the Buffaloes, who finished 26-2.
“We were the most prepared we could be for this game.”
Pender’s @dolliver_maya and @mady_dolliver talk with @Austin2Jacobsen following the Pendragons’ 74-40 Class D1 title win.
Pender has now won three titles in a row! 🏆🏆🏆#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/SR2u1drzSw
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 8, 2025
NEBPreps D1 All-Tournament Team
>> MOP Madalyn Dolliver, Pender: 23.0 PPG, 50% FG (48.6% 3FG), 1.7 SPG
>> Hadley Walsh, Pender: 19.0 PPG, 53.8% FG, 91.7% FT, 6.7 RPG, 4,3 APG
>> Maya Dolliver, Pender: 9.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.3 APG
>> Kendal Cavenee, Elm Creek: 17.3 PPG, 55.9% FG (47.4% 3FG), 83.3% FT, 5.0 RPG
>> Katelyn Arens, Cedar Catholic: 16.0 PPG
Class C1
No. 1 Lincoln Christian 49, No. 3 Milford 42
The Crusaders used a gritty defensive effort to win their 39th straight game and repeat as C1 state champions. The 28-0 record marks the school’s first undefeated season.
“We made history,” senior Mattea Kassebaum said. “Nobody at our school has been able to go back-to-back, so that’s just a huge, special thing for our school community, just to show everybody that Lincoln Christian belongs in the state tournament and they can win a state championship.”
Senior Kena Ailes notched her third double-double in three games at state with 17 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Crusaders. Junior Maci Pittenger and sophomore Sam Dearking chipped in 10 points and three assists apiece while combining for 10 boards.
Lincoln Christian and Milford met back in December, a 69-67 win for the Crusaders, and Coach Scott Klein said he felt at the time it was a showdown between the two best teams in the class. The rematch proved to be just as competitive.
Milford delivered the first punch, but Christian responded with a 7-0 run to tie it up at 15-all at the end of the first quarter. The teams went into halftime tied as well. Dearking opened the second-half scoring with a 3-pointer, but Shayla Rautenberg responded with back-to-back buckets inside to put the Eagles in front a few minutes into the half.
The Crusaders locked down on defense from there, however, holding Milford without a point until a layup from Izzy Yeackley with a few seconds to go. Lincoln Christian got 3-points from three different players and took a 37-31 lead into the fourth.
Milford tried to make a push in the final period, but Christian had an answer every time and maintained at least a two-possession lead throughout. The Crusaders only made one field goal but held the Eagles to one as well until a layup with 1.2 remaining. Christian went 10-for-12 from the line to close it out.
Going undefeated wasn’t among the goals the team’s seniors laid out prior to the season, but the Crusaders accomplished it anyway.
“Now that’s it done, I like this team,” Klein said. “I think this team can play with anybody in the state, one game … I do think, for us at Lincoln Christian, to go undefeated, no team has ever done that. To win back-to-back, titles — they, to me, are the best team to every go through Lincoln Christian.”
Senior Ayla Roth scored 10 of Milford’s 15 in the first quarter and finished with a game-high 18. Rautenberg, the 6-foot-3 freshman, notched her third double-double at state with 14 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks. Milford finished 25-2 on the year, with both losses coming to the Crusaders.
“It’s easy to say ‘We got one done that’s good enough.’ I was hungry. I wanted to make history.”
Lincoln Christian’s Kenadee Ailes speaks with @Austin2Jacobsen about her double-double to preserve the Crusaders’ unbeaten record and second straight Class C1 championship.… pic.twitter.com/Eh3oGvEhW7
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 8, 2025
NEBPreps Class C1 All-Tournament Team
>> MOP Kena Ailes, Lincoln Christian: 14.0 PPG, 15.3 RPG, 2.3 APG
>> Mattea Kassebaum, Lincoln Christian: 13.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.7 APG
>> Ayla Roth, Milford: 14.7 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.7 RPG
>> Shayla Rautenberg, Milford: 13.3 PPG, 50% FG, 14.3 RPG, 5.0 BPG
>> Mattie Kamery, Minden: 16.0 PPG
Class A
No. 1 Millard West 70, No. 7 Omaha Westside 44
The Millard West senior class, led by Creighton commits Neleigh and Norah Gessert, capped their careers with a dominant title game performance to capture the team’s second straight Class A title — the first two titles in school history.
“Obviously it was just an awesome feeling, and then stepping off the court for one last time, the emotions really hit right when that buzzer went off,” Norah said. “Getting to spend this one last year with and getting it done with the senior class was super special.”
Junior Kylee Paben led the Wildcats with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Neleigh Gessert — whose name is all over the Millard West record book — added 18 points, eight rebounds and four 3-pointers, giving her 104 3s on the season. That’s tied for seventh all time in Nebraska.
Jade Lewis, a senior transfer from Yutan, added 15 points and seven rebounds, giving her two double-digit scoring games in the state tournament after she recorded just four of them during the regular season.
“This year, the competition level was a whole new game with Class A,” Lewis said. “I was pretty nervous coming in … I couldn’t ask for a better senior year. I’m so grateful I came here It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
The Warriors traded buckets with the Wildcats in the opening minutes of the game, but it was all Wildcats from there as Millard West ripped off a 20-0 run across nearly eight minutes of play.
Millard West led by 19 at halftime, pushed it out to 26 in the third and cruised to the finish, allowing the Wildcat seniors to check out of the game for one final time and share a moment with their coaches.
“I actually have been hoping to have that moment for them for a long time. Obviously, everybody has dreams of winning a state championship and doing it last year [in a close game], it’s just like ‘Man, if we’re ever in a situation where things are in hand, I would love to make that happen,’ and it was really cool.”
Freshman Himayajo Metoyer led the Warriors with 18 points, scoring 12 of Westside’s 20 in the third quarter. Westside finished as state runner-up with a 21-7 record, making a deep run as a 7 seed with three starters set to return next season.
“We knew we had a target on our back from day one.”
Millard West’s @norahgessert and @neleighgessert chat with @Austin2Jacobsen after closing out their Wildcat career as back-to-back state champions. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/oIla5AlKGd
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 8, 2025
NEBPreps Class A All-Tournament Team
>> MOP: Kylee Paben, Millard West: 13.7 PPG, 81.8% FT, 8.7 RPG
>> Neleigh Gessert, Millard West: 13.7 PPG 6.7 RPG, 3.3 SPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 BPG
>> Himayajo Metoyer, Omaha Westside: 14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG
>> Ani Leu, Lincoln North Star: 12.5 PPG, 50% FG (50% 3FG), 5.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG
>> Stevie Harley, Bellevue West: 11.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.0 BPG, 2.0 SPG
Class C2
No. 3 Oakland-Craig 51, No. 4 Elkhorn Valley 46
The Knights rallied from a double-digit deficit and made some big plays down the stretch to claim their first state championship.
This year was Oakland-Craig’s sixth state tournament appearance in the past seven years. The Knights had a couple of third-place finishes (2019, 2022) and fell in the final in 2023 before going one-and-done last season. Now, with senior Adi Rennerfeldt leading the way, Oakland-Craig finally broke through to cut down the nets.
“Joe Anderson was the head coach before I was, and he’s my best friend in the world,” Coach Scott Guzinski said. “He started this whole thing, and he deserves a lot of credit for this. These kids have worked since they’ve been this big and dreamed of this.”
Rennerfeldt posted a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds in her final game as a Knight. Junior Briar Ray added 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Junior Sonya Guzinski chipped in 11 points and finished her tournament run with 13 made 3-pointers, including a C2 single-game record-tying seven in the first round.
“To be able to put the gold medal around my daughter’s neck … I didn’t want to think about it before the game, I just wanted it to happen, and it was cool,” Coach Guzinski said. “My two older kids worked really, really hard, and all of the kids that came before us — I can sit here and name every senior we’ve had in the last six years since I got here. They’re all part of this. You can ask these kids; they were managers when we were here, and they’re in the pictures. They wanted to be here, and they are.”
Things looked dire for the Knights in the first half as they dug themselves a 15-pont hole late in the first half. Oakland-Craig shot 6-for-26 from the field in the first 16 minutes, leading to a 12-point deficit at the break.
However, the Knights buckled down on defense in the second half, holding the Falcons to six points in the third quarter and 5-of-18 shooting with 10 turnovers in the second half. Oakland-Craig used a 12-0 run with buckets from four different players (three 3s and a three-point play) to take the lead early in the fourth, making it anyone’s game down the stretch.
“We knew we could do it,” Rennerfeldt said. “All we had to do was work harder, get some stops, and we knew the averages would average themselves out and if we kept shooting, we were going to make them. After not shooting great in the first half, we obviously made some shots in the second half, which led us to the comeback.”
After a couple ties and a couple more lead changes, Rennerfeldt gave the Knights the lead with a free throw then took the ball back on defense with less than a minute to play. Oakland-Craig called a timeout then worked the clock until Rennerfeldt found an open Hilary Ray, who fired away from deep and buried the dagger to give the Knights a four-point lead with about 20 seconds to play.
“I’m so happy,” said Ray, a freshman. “This has always been my dream, to be with these people. I’ve played with them since I was younger because I’ve got a sister on the team. I looked up to them when I was younger, and now I get to play by their side, and it’s super cool.”
Elkhorn Valley fired up a 3 but couldn’t get it to go, allowing the Knights to close it out.
Senior Karlee Broberg led the runner-up Falcons (28-1) with 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field (4-of-6 from 3). Fellow senior JJ Black finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and two steals after coming up one block shy of a triple-double in the semifinals.
“I knew I would knock it down. I missed two or three in a row and coach was telling me to shoot it.”
Freshman Hilary Ray shares her thoughts on her clutch three-pointer to push Oakland-Craig to its first-ever Class C2 state championship win. #nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/H1cogc0qmw
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 9, 2025
NEBPreps Class C2 All-Tournament Team
>> MOP: Adi Rennerfeldt, Oakland-Craig: 14.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 1.7 APG
>> Sonya Guzinski, Oakland-Craig: 16.7 PPG, 44.8% 3FG, 5.0 RPG
>> Karlee Broberg, Elkhorn Valley: 15.7 PPG, 39.3% 3FG, 3.0 APG
>> JJ Black, Elkhorn Valley: 12.7 PPG, 53.3% FG, 9.0 RPG, 5.3 BPG, 2.7 APG
>> Jaisie Jansen, Crofton: 12.3 PPG
Class B
No. 1 Skutt Catholic 37, No. 7 Gretna East 25
After coming up short in the title game the last three years, the SkyHawks broke through to win their first state championship.
Skutt held Gretna East to two field goals in each of the four quarters and 21.1% shooting overall to offset its own offensive struggles.
“First and foremost, I’m just so happy for the kids,” Skutt coach Kip Colony said. “They’ve worked so hard. These kids, four straight years coming down here, getting to the finals and just coming up short. They were driven more this year than I’ve ever seen. They were locked in more than I’ve ever seen before. They just were not going to let it slip away this year.”
The star of the game nearly didn’t play at all as senior Libby Shotkoski left Skutt’s semifinal win over Bennington with an ankle injury and did not return. She was back in the lineup on Saturday to gut it out, however, and shot 5-of-8 from 3 for a game-high 15 points.
Senior Kamryn Kasner recorded her second straight double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, setting a bit of Skutt history in the process.
“Kamryn is the Dennis Rodman of this program,” Colony said. “She’s amazing. She has, officially today, set the all-time single-season record in rebounds, which was at 292 for a lot of years, and she broke the all-time career rebound record. So her name is going to be on that plaque hanging up in the hallway. Knowing her dad, [Skutt AD Donn Kasner], he’ll probably already have it within the next hour. But she’s amazing.
“All these ladies, the compassion and the heart, the work ethic, the drive, willing to come in early in the morning and do the things necessary to be in this spot. It wasn’t always easy, and they persevered and believed in each other and believed in the program, and we’re sitting here today because of that.”
Senior Karli Williams led the 20-7 Griffins — who reached the final in the school’s second year of existence — with eight points and 12 rebounds.
“There was no option.”@annaambrose76 speaks with @LibbyShotkoski after leading Skutt Catholic to its first state title despite a high sprain ankle injury.#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/dte8SGI1ct
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 9, 2025
NEBPreps Class B All-Tournament Team
>> MOP Molly Ladwig, Skutt Catholic: 18.0 PPG, 78.3% FT, 7.3 RPG, 3.3 APG
>> Kamryn Kasner, Skutt Catholic: 13.0 PPG, 50% FG, 10.3 RPG
>> Karli Williams, Gretna East: 11.7 PPG, 52% FG, 9.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 BPG
>> Parker Christiansen, Waverly: 22.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.5 BPG
>> Harper Bohaboj, Bennington: 14.0 PPG, 75% FT, 4.5 APG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG
Class D2
No. 2 Falls City Sacred Heart 52, No. 4 Dorchester 25
The Irish rode a lockdown defensive effort to the program’s ninth state title in the final game of the 2024-25 season.
Sacred Heart (26-4) gave up just nine field goals in four quarters, holding Dorchester to 19.1% shooting. The Irish led by seven at halftime, doubled that by the end of the third then held the Longhorns to two points in the fourth to turn the game into a blowout.
“When you’re able to finish the season on a note like this, you’re just ecstatic. Super happy, super proud of the girls. It was a great three days. I think over the course of the three days, we faced some adversity foul trouble-wise, but to get through those three games and come out on top, you’re just thrilled and you’re happy for the girls.”
Foul trouble limited Sacred Heart’s senior leader, Jentry Lechtenberg, to nine minutes and two points in the first half, but she stayed on the court in the second half and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
“At halftime, I was frustrated in the locker room, I really was,” Lechtenberg said. “I just wanted to go back out in that second half and do my thing.”
Sophomore Hallie Jones added 12 points and five boards. Juniors Daycee Witt and Avery Santo knocked down three 3-pointers apiece, each matching what Dorchester’s entire team managed to hit. Santo finished 15-of-36 (41.7%) from 3 in the tournament.
Sophomore Lily Lehr totaled 10 points to lead the way for the runner-up Longhorns (25-3).
“This is what we’ve been wanting, and we got it.”@annaambrose76 speaks with Daycee Witt following the Irish’s sixth state stilts in tens years.#nebpreps | @pinnbank pic.twitter.com/b98Kjc0Ygn
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) March 9, 2025
Class D2 All-Tournament Team
>> MOP Jentry Lechtenberg, Sacred Heart: 13.7 PPG, 82.6% FT, 10.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.0 SPG
>> Avery Santo, Sacred Heart: 17.0 PPG, 41.7% 3FG
>> Gabrielle Theis, Dorchester: 8.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG
>> Nyla Kessler, Archangels Catholic: 12.0 PPG
>> Madison Bunger, Wilcox-Hildreth: 11.0 PPG
