The Howells-Dodge Girls won their first ever State Championship as a Consolidated School on Saturday, topping Diller-Odell 39-30 in the Class C-2 State Championship Game at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first quarter and led 14-7 after one before the Griffin won the second quarter 14-13 to make it a 27-21 game at halftime in favor of Howells-Dodge.
Howells-Dodge outscored Diller-Odell 5-1 in the third quarter to lead 32-22 at the end of three.
The Griffin put up 8 points in the fourth quarter compared to 7 for the Jaguars.
Macey Kulhanek paced Howells-Dodge with 12 points while Sam Brester had 9.
Howells-Dodge advanced to the Class C-2 State Title Game by taking down Ponca 47-44 in the State Semifinals at the Devaney Center Friday afternoon.
Things were tight throughout as the Jaguars held just a one-point lead at the end of one, 12-11. The Indians outscored Howells-Dodge 12-9 in the third quarter to take a 23-21 lead into the locker room.
Ponca went on a mini 5-0 run to start the second half, and led 28-21, before the Jaguars responded with a 10-0 run of their own to pull in front 31-28.
Howells-Dodge led 33-30 at the end of three, and both teams scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Brester led all scorers with 22 points and 9 rebounds while Kulhanek notched 12 points.
Howells-Dodge advanced to the State Semifinals for the third year in a row on Thursday by knocking off Cambridge 58-41 in the first round of State at Lincoln North Star.
The Trojans led early, taking a 17-13 lead at the end of one, a quarter highlighted by the Jaguars' Sam Brester's buzzer beating three pointer. The difference in the game was in the second quarter as Howells-Dodge outscored Cambridge 21-6 to lead 34-23 at halftime.
Both teams scored 11 points in the third quarter, and the score after three was 45-34 in favor of the Jaguars.
The Jaguars won the fourth quarter 13-7.
Howells-Dodge was led by Brester, who had a game-high 25 points and 15 rebounds, good enough for a double-double. Kulhanek added 19 points.
Head Coach Scott Polacek says winning the state title means a lot to both communities. "It is great for our communities. The two towns have incredible traditions of sports, and expectations are high, so we put a lot of passion into our season, to keep the tradition alive."
The Jaguars end the year at 25-3.
Polacek adds having previous state experience really helped his team win it this time around. "We've been to the tournament for 2 years previous, so we were easily able to handle the stress of the weekend. We knew what to expect. We had different girls have great games throughout the tournament, and that balance gave us an edge."
Howells-Dodge loses Brester, Emily Ritzdorf, Kalli Brester, Chelsea Bayer, and Tessa Brester to graduation.
Polacek says these seniors meant a lot to the Jaguars' year. "We had an excellent group of seniors who had tremendous desire, and that was the difference the whole season."
Howells-Dodge brings back the likes of Kulhanek, Erin Prusa, Tonya Brester, Grace Dvorak, Jessi Brester, and Emily Wragge.
But Polacek says next year is the last thing his team is thinking about right now. "It will be awhile before we think about next year. We have our town/team celebration next Saturday, and we are going to enjoy it until then!"
This is something the Jaguars should let soak in and feel great about for quite a while.
Howells-Dodge should be very proud of what they accomplished this season. To win a state title is something these girls will never forget.
The Jaguars were a great team this season, and I feel honored and privileged to have broadcasted a game of theirs this season.
Howells-Dodge was definitely worthy of this state championship, and it couldn't of happened to a better team.
There's a lot to get after to defend their state title next year, but the Jaguars ought to enjoy this one for a while, and party and celebrate lots.
State titles are very rare to come by for most schools, and this is a time that Howells-Dodge has to really enjoy.
All that hard work and dedication put in by these players paid off and culminated with a state title.
The Jaguars reached the Pinnacle this year again, and came through when it mattered most this time around.
These Howells-Dodge seniors ended their careers on the Huskers' home court, and you could not ask for more if you are the Jaguars.
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