Howells-Dodge Girls advance to State for 3rd straight year

The Howells-Dodge Girls are at state for the third year in a row after defeating Twin River 50-42 in the C2-4 District Final at Central Community College in Columbus on Saturday.

The Jaguars led 14-9 after one before doubling up the Titans 20-10 in the second quarter to take a 34-19 lead into the locker room.

Twin River won the third quarter 6-4 to make it a 38-25 game at the end of three.

The Titans outscored Howells-Dodge 17-12 in the fourth quarter.

Sam Brester finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Chelsea Bayer and Macey Kulhanek registered 11 points apiece. Kalli Brester chipped in 7.

A fast start and a good first half appeared to be the difference in this one.

22-3 and 3rd seeded Howells-Dodge takes on 20-3 and 6th seeded Cambridge in the first round of the State Tournament in Lincoln Thursday night. Head Coach Scott Polacek says the Trojans have some girls that can play. "I watched some film, and they look pretty tough. Their number one player is Alea Shaner. And she was an All-State Player already a year ago. She can penetrate, and she can post up, and she can shoot 3's And they have another good outside three-point threat and a couple freshmen that are playing very, very well for them."

Both teams were D-1 State Qualifiers a year ago with the Jaguars finishing State Runner-Up.

Polacek says his team has had balanced scoring lately, and that's made it tough on opponents. "We've been pretty successful with our balanced scoring the last few games. We've had a couple other girls step up, and our outside game has been real strong lately. And that's helped us out. We haven't had to rely a lot on our inside game. We've been able to kind of score from a lot of different places. That's made us a lot harder to stop for the opponent, definitely."

Howells-Dodge has a pretty favorable draw if you ask me. The Jaguars are facing a team that has fluctuated between C-2 and D-1 themselves so both of these teams are sort of having to adapt to playing up a class.

The difference is the Trojans have been C-2 before so some of their girls probably know what to expect maybe more so than Howells-Dodge.

At the end of the day state is state and basketball is basketball though, and all the rules and everything are the same as if the Jaguars were in D-1.

The difference is the field is definitely tougher in C-2 than in D-1 so Howells-Dodge definitely has their work cut out for them this weekend, but there's no doubt in my mind the Jaguars can make a run and find themselves playing on Saturday.

If Howells-Dodge wins on Thursday, they would play either Hastings St. Cecilia or Ponca in the semifinals on Friday.

This has to be an exciting time for all the players coaches, fans, and the communities of Howells and Dodge.

The Jaguars have had a great run these last few years, and hopefully Howells-Dodge finds themselves playing three games this weekend.

It should be a lot of fun and an electric atmosphere as always.

Tip-off is set for 7:00 at Lincoln North Star, and the game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Pender Girls fall to GACC in Sub-District Final; Earn Wildcard to State

It was a back and forth affair in the D1-4 Sub-District Final at Wisner-Pilger on Thursday, February 16th between the Guardian Angels Central Catholic and Pender Girls with the Bluejays outlasting the Pendragons 59-56.

Pender jumped on GACC early and led 19-15 after one before the Bluejays outscored the Pendragons 15-11 in the second quarter to tie the game at 30 at halftime.

Pender started the second half on a 10-0 run, and won the third quarter 12-10 to lead 42-40 after three.

GACC came through in the end though, putting up 19 points in the fourth quarter compared to 14 for Pender.

Kam Anderson led all scorers with 18 points while Amber English registered 16. Hallie Ballinger totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds, good enough for a double-double, while Cecilee Jacobsen added 9 rebounds.

Head Coach Larry Ballinger says the game was well played. "Yeah, no I thought my team played well. I thought both teams played extremely well. It was probably one of the best played games that I've been a part of. Both teams hitting key shots. The other one would go on a little run, and then the other one would answer. And I thought it was just a great game to be a part of and a lot of fun."

18-8 and 7th seeded Pender meets 25-0 and 2nd seeded Dundy County-Stratton in the first round of the State Tournament in Lincoln Thursday afternoon. Ballinger says the Tigers are a very good team. "Yeah, no they're undefeated for a reason. And they're just a well disciplined team. They get aggressive on defense and throw a lot of different presses at you. And they're just a scrappy team that likes to get up and down the floor a lot."

The Pendragons received one of two wildcards to the state tournament.

Ballinger says it wasn't easy having to wait and see if they were going to get in. "Yeah that was a tough thing to do was sit and wait. And we did have practice trying to keep our spirits up a little bit and just try and do what we could and prepare. And if we did get ready, if we did make it in, we could be ready to go."

The Pendragons are appearing at state for the first time since 2014.

I think if Pender plays up to their capability they can upset and knock off the Tigers.

Howells-Dodge beat Dundy County-Stratton last year in the first round so perhaps the Pendragons can duplicate the Jaguars' efforts this year.

One thing is for sure...a lot of good basketball is played in Northeast Nebraska, and Pender is very battle tested.

The Tigers are undefeated though and are a very good team so beating them will be a very tall and daunting task.

The Pendragons have to play the way they did against the Bluejays in the Sub-District Final.

Pender has to play with that same sense of urgency and purpose that they played with against GACC.

The fans have to get excited and jacked up for this game...after all this is state.

Days and moments like these don't come very often in life so the Pendragons have to make the most of their State Tournament stay, and stick around a while if they can.

Pender is guaranteed three games if they win on Thursday so the Pendragons would be hanging around for a while if they are able to pull off the upset against Dundy County-Stratton.

Pender has to stay calm, poised, and relaxed at all times. The Pendragons can't let the atmosphere get to them.

Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. at Lincoln Southwest, and the game will air on 107.9 the Bull.

GACC Girls rout Weeping Water in District Final

The Guardian Angels Central Catholic Girls blew out Weeping Water 59-18 in the D1-2 District Final at Elkhorn South on Saturday.

The Bluejays led 21-4 after one before outscoring the Indians 22-7 in the second quarter to take a 43-11 lead into the locker room.

GACC won the third quarter 12-2 to go up 55-13 at the end of three.

Weeping Water put up 5 points in the fourth quarter compared to 4 for the Bluejays.

This was a very dominant win for GACC. The Bluejays definitely appeared to be in championship form.

21-2 and top seeded GACC and 20-6 and 8th seeded Meridian meet in the first round of State in Lincoln Thursday morning. Head Coach Jerry Stracke says the Mustangs are battle tested and athletic. "Yeah Meridian can give us a lot of problems. They have a lot of speed and quickness, they've played a lot of good teams. It just depends how well we can adjust to their speed and how well we play."

Meridian topped Lourdes Central Catholic 42-39 in the D1-1 District Final at Crete Friday night.

The Mustangs are a tough team, and should not be taken lightly or for granted.

The Bluejays should win, but Meridian isn't your typical 8 seed, in my opinion.

GACC has to come out and play the way they did against Weeping Water, and leave the Mustangs in the dust.

The Bluejays have to put away Meridian early so they can coast to the easy win, and get ready for their semifinal game on Friday.

I think this GACC team is the team to beat in this state tournament. Pender or Dundy County-Stratton could have something to say about that, but when it's all said and done, I look for the Bluejays to hoist the State Championship Trophy on Saturday and receive gold medals.

GACC is a fixture at the state tournament, and has been a very good team for a very long time.

The Bluejays are experienced, veteran laden, and well seasoned so that should really benefit GACC.

This is an experience of a lifetime for these girls, and they have to enjoy it.

Tip-off is set for 9:00 a.m. at Lincoln Southwest.

Stracke says his team likes the early start time. "Actually we probably play our best games in the morning. Seems like whenever we get morning draws down at state that we play really well. And it's kind of nice cause then you have the rest of the day to work on other things and just enjoy the day and experience down there."

The Bluejays, who are seeking their first state title since 2012, are appearing at state for the 20th consecutive year.

Thursday's game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Oakland-Craig Girls fall to Ponca in District Final

Ponca's Emma Kneifl hit a shot that will forever live in Ponca lore as she canned a three-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation to send Saturday's C2-2 Girls Basketball District Final against Oakland-Craig into overtime tied at 51.

The Knights captured a 19-18 lead at halftime after falling behind 14-6 at the end of one.

Oakland-Craig extended their lead to 4 at 36-32 at the end of three before the Indians battled back in the fourth quarter.

Ponca never looked back in the extra session, tripling up the Knights 12-4 to win 63-55.

Oakland-Craig was led by Dacey Nelson with 21 points. Kennedy Benne posted 12 while Melanie Snader added 7. Shannon Pille chipped in 10 rebounds.

It was a great run for the Knights as Oakland-Craig came up a little bit short of making state.

Oakland-Craig ends the season at 14-7.

Oakland-Craig's biggest wins of the year came over Omaha Nation, BRLD, Fremont Bergan (Twice), and Yutan.

I thought the Knights played their best basketball when it mattered most this season with the exception of the East Husker Conference Tournament.

Nelson was the team's leader in scoring with 480 points and rebounds with 158. Benne was second on the team in scoring with 221 points while Pille was second in rebounds with 133.

Oakland-Craig says goodbye to four seniors in Pille, Emmy Bousquet, Snader, and Grace Maline.

These girls are significant losses for the Knights and don't figure to be easy to replace.

Key returners for Oakland-Craig include Nelson, Benne, Natalia McNeil, Ashley Denton, and Ellie Weitzenkamp.

The Knights overcame the loss of four starters from last year's team so I don't see why Oakland-Craig can't overcome the loss of the four seniors they lose from this year's team.

Nelson is one of the best players in the area and I'm excited to see what she can do next year.

Benne should also have a solid sophomore campaign, and compliment Nelson very nicely.

New starters and role players will have to emerge for the Knights, but with an entire offseason to improve, mature, and grow...that should happen.

Oakland-Craig has to get faster, stronger, more physical, and tougher in the offseason.

The Knights are already a very good team, but to be even better Oakland-Craig's returning players and newcomers have to work hard in the weightroom, run, work on agility drills, shoot, and participate in pick up games, open gyms, summer and team camps, and summer leagues.

The Knights have to be basketball minded as much as possible from now until November.

There's a lot of time for these players to hone their skills and develop even more than they already have, but there's only so much time before the season begins.

With an entire offseason to improve in every aspect of the game and in life I look for Oakland-Craig to have a really good 2017-2018 season.

GACC Boys upset Walthill in Sub-District Final

The GACC Boys kept their season alive Thursday night by upsetting Walthill 59-55 in the D1-4 Sub-District Final at Wisner-Pilger.

The Blujays led 18-10 after one before the Bluejays outscored Walthill 20-14 in the second quarter to make it a 32-30 game at halftime in favor of the Blujays.

GACC won the third quarter 13-9 to pull in front 43-41 at the end of three.

The Bluejays notched 16 points in the fourth quarter compared to 14 for Walthill.

GACC was led by Mitch Haas with 26 points. Kobe Slaughter added 9 while Andrew Guenther and Nolan Plagge totaled 8 and 7, respectively. Landon Stalp added 7 rebounds.

Head Coach Brad Slaughter knew his team could come out on top. "I knew it was going to be a battle, and watching their film and things like that. But I do believe that Mid-State grind of that tough games competition day in and day out has actually helped us. And if we can survive those runs and make good decisions and knock down our free throws, these kids can play. So I'm just glad that they stepped up to the challenge."

Slaughter likes the way his team is playing at the moment. "They're playing hard, and I couldn't be prouder of the group of boys. They don't want to stop practicing, they want to keep playing."

Slaughter's boys made 26 of 35 free throws. "We have been coming on. I told you last time our free throws have been getting better. And we are getting more consistent at the line. And the kids are having the confidence to step up and knock them down. So it's a credit to focus and being able to step up in those pressure situations."

Slaughter says the win was also due in large part to Haas. "Mitch had a nice game. He did a good job of knocking down his free throws and he converted on a lot of his short jumpers. And that was just a big boost in that fourth quarter when you get up to that line and knock down those free throw shots. I mean those are gimme's that you got to take advantage of. And him and a couple others knocked down some big free throws that really helped keep the pressure on Walthill."

GACC (13-13) will play East Butler (16-8) in the D1-2 District Final at Clarkson High School Tuesday night.

The Tigers squeaked by Omaha Christian Academy 41-40 in the D1-3 Sub-District Final at Wahoo Thursday night.

Slaughter says the Tigers are a solid ball club. "They play several different defenses. The athletes that they send on the floor they do a nice job. And they work hard too. I mean I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to get after this."

East Butler isn't that bad of a team as they've beaten a few good teams and lost to some other quality squads.

I think the Bluejays will definitely have their work cut out for them in this one.

With that said, I feel GACC has played the tougher schedule and is battle tested.

The win over Walthill was a great win for this squad, but the journey isn't complete yet.

I know the Bluejays have aspirations of winning the State Tournament, but GACC has to get there first.

The Bluejays should be over the joy and elation of the Walthill win by now. It's time to refocus and get ready for the task at hand.

GACC has to come ready to play with a business like attitude.

The Bluejays can't take the Tigers lightly or for granted, GACC has to be ready to play a complete four quarter game.

Haas, Slaughter, Guenther, Plagge, and Stalp all need to have good games for the Bluejays.

GACC has to be confident shooting the ball from the field and at the free throw line.

The Bluejays have to bring their A game and be ready to go toe to toe with East Butler.

GACC has to have a good game offensively, and can't afford to go through the shooting woes that they have at times this season.

The Bluejays have to put things all together once again to punch their ticket to Lincoln.

Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game can be heard on 107.9 the Bull.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Boys fall to Winnebago in Sub-District Final

The Logan View/Scribner-Snyder Boys lost 72-59 to Winnebago in the C1-6 Sub-District Final Thursday evening.

The Indians jumped out on the Raiders 17-8 after one. Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter, and Winnebago led 31-22 at halftime.

LV/SS won the third quarter 18-16 to make it a 47-40 game at the end of three.

The Indians outscored the Raiders 25-19 in the fourth quarter.

Jacob Polk led the way with 25 points while Ben Moxness registered 18. Nathan Taylor chipped in 7.

I thought Logan View/Scribner-Snyder competed well and held their own against Winnebago.

The Raiders end the season at 18-6.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder had a tremendous season, in my opinion, knocking off the likes of Oakland-Craig (twice), Wayne, North Bend Central, Wisner-Pilger, West Point-Beemer, Howells-Dodge, BRLD, Yutan, and Arlington.

Moxness finished the season as the team leader in points and rebounds with 511 points and 157 rebounds. Polk was second in points with 355.

The Raiders lose just one senior in Andrew Poppe, otherwise everyone else is back.

Moxness, Polk, Taylor, Alex Hagerbaumer, Alex VonSeggern, and Nathan Wacker are all key returners for Logan View/Scribner-Snyder.

I think the Raiders have a chance to be very good and make state next season.

Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to have a juggernaut of an offseason, and be ready to have a breakout and great season in 2017-2018.

I thought the Raiders were a very good team this year, and have a chance to be a great team next year.

Boys Basketball should be really strong in the conference and in the area next year so Logan View/Scribner-Snyder has to work harder than everyone else to get where they want to next season.

I look for the Raiders to run the table and lose like 3, 4, or 5 games at most next year.

I thought LV/SS could go 20-5 this year, and I was close.

So you can bet the Raiders will be back and ready for more next season.

Winnebago is the team to beat in C-1 at the moment I would say, and at the very least LV/SS saw what it's going to take to be the best by playing them.

I still say the Raiders, along with North Bend Central, are among or close to among the 8 best teams in C-1.

I really think both teams were good enough to make State this year, although the field figures to be very stacked.

LV/SS should get down to state and watch so they can get an idea of what it would be like to get there next season.

North Bend Central Boys lose to Columbus Scotus in Sub-District Final

The season came to an end for the North Bend Central Boys Thursday night as the Tigers lost 63-38 to Columbus Scotus in the C1-5 Sub-District Final at Columbus High.

I thought North Bend Central would keep things closer with the Shamrocks, but it just wasn't in the cards for the Tigers.

North Bend Central ends the year at 19-5.

Big wins for the Tigers came over Twin River, Oakland-Craig, BRLD, Logan View/Scribner-Snyder, and Howells-Dodge.

I think the highlight of the season definitely had to be winning the East Husker Conference Tournament Championship.

Personnel losses for North Bend Central include Jake Wietfeld, Matt Ortmeier, and Jack Post.

Key returners include John Emanuel, James Seymour, Tanner Wietfeld, Austin Endorf, and Peter Emanuel.

I think the Tigers have the nucleus and players capable of having another solid campaign in 2017-2018.

Jake Wietfeld and Ortmeier are significant losses though. Both were very good players throughout their careers for North Bend Central.

So the returning players and incoming freshman have to put in a lot of hard work this offseason and come back with a vengeance in 2017-2018.

You can bet the Tigers will be back in the thick of the State Tournament Picture next season given all who Columbus Scotus loses.

Sub-Districts can change, but I think North Bend Central will have a very good team again next season.

The Tigers need to have a great offseason of growth, development, and maturity though.

North Bend Central has to get after things in the weightroom and in the gym whether that be just lifting, shooting, running, playing pick up games, or participating in open gyms, team camps, agility drills, summer leagues, and summer camps.

There's a lot that goes into having a successful program, and the last two years have treated the Tigers very well.

North Bend Central honestly ought to be hungry, anxious, and ready for more in 2017-2018.

So the sooner the Tigers get to work this offseason....the better they will be next season.