Class A: Southeast, Millard West, Kearney, Millard North are winners
Thursday's Class A tournament results:
Lincoln Southeast 59, Papillion-La Vista 41: Dave Hubert doesn’t have a diploma hanging on his office wall, but the Papillion-La Vista coach could make the proper diagnosis on Lincoln Southeast’s KK Houser by watching her zip around the Devaney Sports Center basketball court and looking at the scorebook.
“I’m not a doctor, but she looked healthy to me,” Hubert said.
After missing last Friday’s district final with a stomach virus that left her dehydrated and weak, the 5-foot-6 junior all-state guard came back strong in the first round of the Class A girls state tournament. Houser dropped in 18 points to help the top-ranked Knights claim a 59-41 victory and move into a 8:45 p.m. semifinal today against Millard North.
“I finally started feeling good yesterday, perfect timing,” said Houser, who was 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point line. “It was hard sitting out, but the doctor told me if I didn’t sit out, I wouldn’t be playing the state tournament. There’s no way I’m missing state.”
When Houser stayed home for Southeast’s 62-45 win over Papillion-La Vista South last week, it was the first missed start in her career. While the Knights (24-1) didn’t seem to miss a beat, Marissa Kastanek said it’s better having the lightning-quick Houser on the court directing the offense and full-court pressure defense.
“With KK out there, the speed of the game is so much faster,” said Kastanek, a junior all-state transfer from Crete who finished with a game-high 19. “We know each other so well. It’s fun having her on the court.’’
The Knights’ full-court pressure defense wasn’t much fun for the Monarchs (13-10), who had more turnovers (32) than shot attempts (29). It was a major factor in Southeast jumping out to a 26-7 lead in the second quarter as seven different Knights contributed offensively.
After the Monarchs got it as close as 29-23 with 5:29 left in the third quarter, the defense sparked a 17-2 run that pushed Southeast’s margin to 46-25. Papillion-La Vista had seven turnovers during that span, which included three-point baskets by Houser, Kastanek and Alyssa Lake.
“Defense carried us tonight when we needed it,’’ Southeast coach John Larsen said. “The effort was good, we didn’t execute offensively as well as we’d like to at times. You don’t want to always rely on that (the full-court pressure defense) to score.”
When the Monarchs made it a half-court game, they were effective. Chelsea Albers, a 6-1 freshman, led Papillion-La Vista with 12 points and seven rebounds. Junior Super-State volleyball player Gina Mancuso added nine points and seven boards.
“I’m proud that our kids never quit after that initial run and got to within six,” Hubert said. “It’s a game of runs with Southeast and they had two huge ones on us. That’s a problem for everyone they play.”
--Ron Powell
Millard West 59, Omaha Marian 49: With the game tied early in the fourth quarter, Millard West coach Kip Colony summoned his team’s experience at the Class A girls state basketball tournament.
The second-ranked Wildcats responded with a 12-2 run that propelled them to a 59-49 first-round victory against No. 8 Omaha Marian on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
During a timeout just before Marian’s 6-foot-4 sophomore Vicki McIntyre scored inside to tie it at 41, “I told them they were acting like we were behind,’’ said Colony, whose 23-1 Wildcats face No. 6 Kearney in today’s 7 p.m. semifinal.
“We had to fight pressure with pressure and the kids responded. Our seniors have been stepping up all year. This is the third time they’ve been at state, and I think that experience was big in the fourth quarter.”
Heather Pohl scored eight of her game-high 22 points for the Wildcats in the final period. Pohl, who also grabbed 13 rebounds, was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the last eight minutes, including two that opened up a 53-43 lead with 3:03 left.
Millard West finished 21-of-25 at the line.
Pohl struggled from the field for three quarters, making just 4 of 17 shots.
“Nerves played a big part of that,” said Pohl, who was 11-of-14 from the stripe. “That’s why we work so hard on free throws, just in case our shots aren’t falling. That’s what won it for us in the end.’’
Junior standout guard Jasmin Corbin was also a factor in the decisive run, scoring on a driving layup and a pull-up 10-foot jumper.
Free-throw shooting hurt the Crusaders (16-9), particularly in the fourth quarter, when they were 1-of-7. Sophomores Claire Tokheim and Rachel Thrash paced the Crusaders with 11 points apiece.
“If we hit those free throws and make some open shots we had in the fourth quarter, we would’ve been okay,” Marian coach Jim Miller said. “We had trouble keeping them (the Wildcats) off the boards, and that hurt.”
Millard West outrebounded Marian 44-30.
--Ron Powell
Kearney 61, Omaha Westside 57, OT: Kearney was 8-of-22 at the free-throw line in its district final win against Grand Island last week, so putting the sixth-ranked Bearcats at the stripe might have been part of No. 7 Omaha Westside’s game plan.
But 32 Westside fouls resulting in 44 Bearcat free-throw attempts were probably a little much. Kearney sank 31 of those foul shots, the key statistic in the Bearcats’ 61-57 first-round overtime win Thursday in the Class A girls state basketball tournament at the Devaney Sports Center.
“We worked on them a lot this week, but free throws are so mental, I don’t know how much it helped,” said Kearney coach Jason Boyd, whose Bearcats bring a 22-3 record into today’s 7 p.m. semifinal against No. 2 Millard West.
“We put them (the players) in pressure situations shooting them in practice,’’ added Boyd, whose team was 18-of-21 at the line in the first half, but still trailed 30-27. “It must’ve helped.”
With four Westside starters with four fouls in the fourth quarter, the strategy was to drive the ball aggressively to the basket. Sophomore Nicole Arp was the main benefactor of that plan, as she was 9-of-12 from the line in the fourth quarter and overtime en route to a game-high 24 points.
“This is the first game I’ve done very well with my free throws,” said Arp. “I’m not a three-point shooter. Taking the ball strong to the hole, that’s more my game.’’
Westside (17-9) took a 43-36 lead into the fourth quarter and held a 49-43 advantage with 5:32 left after two free throws by Chelsea Greco.
Kearney clawed its way back behind 10 fourth-quarter points from Arp. The Bearcats tied it at 55 with two Arp free throws with 1:14 left.
The Warriors then worked for the last shot in regulation, but a 23-footer from standout senior guard Shelly Martin hit the front of the rim in the final seconds.
Martin, who finished with 16 points, was one of three Warriors in double figures. Kelsey Anderson had 18 points, while Sarah Nelson chipped in 16.
Arp scored five of Kearney’s six points in overtime, putting the Bearcats in front to stay 59-57 with two free throws at the 1:20 mark. After a Westside miss on the next possession, Kearney ran the clock down to 13.4 seconds before Arp was fouled and she hit 1 of 2 free throws. The teams exchanged turnovers in the final 6.7 seconds as Westside was unable to get a three-point attempt off in its two possessions.
Maggie Maher produced the final score with a free throw with .2 second left. Maher, an all-state guard last season at Centennial as a sophomore, finished with 12 points. Arp’s older sister, Ashley Arp, added 15.
Westside had three players foul out, all in overtime.
“We never adjusted defensively,’’ said Westside coach Scott Persigehl, who had just 10 players suited up. Two varsity players, Elizabeth Anderson and Chaeli Greco, suffered season-ending knee injuries earlier this winter.
“The aggressive defense, going over the top, that’s how we’ve played all year,’’ he added. “You can’t put a team as good as Kearney at the free-throw line that many times and expect to win.’’
—Ron Powell
Millard North 43, Bellevue East 39: Wild-card team Millard North survived a couple of scares in the final seconds and held on for its second victory against the Chieftains this season.
Bellevue East, down 41-39, missed a game-tying shot in the lane with 6.6 seconds left. Millard North missed two free throws, giving the Chieftains yet another chance, but a game-winning three-point attempt didn’t draw iron with 0.2 seconds showing.
Kristen Conahan, who led Millard North with 13 points, then made two free throws to account for the final margin.
Millard North (20-4) won despite hitting no field goals in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs were 9-of-14 from the free-throw line in the period.
The Mustangs’ 6-foot-7 center Melissa MacFarlane attempted only four shots — only one after halftime — and had eight points.
“Melissa has to be active, and we have to get the ball inside to her,” Millard North coach Jeff Ritz said, explaining one key for today’s semifinal game against top-ranked Lincoln Southeast.
What else must happen to beat the Knights?
“Hope they go to Grand Island,” Ritz said, before taking a more serious tone. “We have to step through our passes and be aware that they’re so good rotating on the press.”
Mercedees Morgan had 13 points to lead Bellevue East (21-7).
Lincoln Southeast 59, Papillion-La Vista 41: Dave Hubert doesn’t have a diploma hanging on his office wall, but the Papillion-La Vista coach could make the proper diagnosis on Lincoln Southeast’s KK Houser by watching her zip around the Devaney Sports Center basketball court and looking at the scorebook.
“I’m not a doctor, but she looked healthy to me,” Hubert said.
After missing last Friday’s district final with a stomach virus that left her dehydrated and weak, the 5-foot-6 junior all-state guard came back strong in the first round of the Class A girls state tournament. Houser dropped in 18 points to help the top-ranked Knights claim a 59-41 victory and move into a 8:45 p.m. semifinal today against Millard North.
“I finally started feeling good yesterday, perfect timing,” said Houser, who was 7-of-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point line. “It was hard sitting out, but the doctor told me if I didn’t sit out, I wouldn’t be playing the state tournament. There’s no way I’m missing state.”
When Houser stayed home for Southeast’s 62-45 win over Papillion-La Vista South last week, it was the first missed start in her career. While the Knights (24-1) didn’t seem to miss a beat, Marissa Kastanek said it’s better having the lightning-quick Houser on the court directing the offense and full-court pressure defense.
“With KK out there, the speed of the game is so much faster,” said Kastanek, a junior all-state transfer from Crete who finished with a game-high 19. “We know each other so well. It’s fun having her on the court.’’
The Knights’ full-court pressure defense wasn’t much fun for the Monarchs (13-10), who had more turnovers (32) than shot attempts (29). It was a major factor in Southeast jumping out to a 26-7 lead in the second quarter as seven different Knights contributed offensively.
After the Monarchs got it as close as 29-23 with 5:29 left in the third quarter, the defense sparked a 17-2 run that pushed Southeast’s margin to 46-25. Papillion-La Vista had seven turnovers during that span, which included three-point baskets by Houser, Kastanek and Alyssa Lake.
“Defense carried us tonight when we needed it,’’ Southeast coach John Larsen said. “The effort was good, we didn’t execute offensively as well as we’d like to at times. You don’t want to always rely on that (the full-court pressure defense) to score.”
When the Monarchs made it a half-court game, they were effective. Chelsea Albers, a 6-1 freshman, led Papillion-La Vista with 12 points and seven rebounds. Junior Super-State volleyball player Gina Mancuso added nine points and seven boards.
“I’m proud that our kids never quit after that initial run and got to within six,” Hubert said. “It’s a game of runs with Southeast and they had two huge ones on us. That’s a problem for everyone they play.”
--Ron Powell
Millard West 59, Omaha Marian 49: With the game tied early in the fourth quarter, Millard West coach Kip Colony summoned his team’s experience at the Class A girls state basketball tournament.
The second-ranked Wildcats responded with a 12-2 run that propelled them to a 59-49 first-round victory against No. 8 Omaha Marian on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
During a timeout just before Marian’s 6-foot-4 sophomore Vicki McIntyre scored inside to tie it at 41, “I told them they were acting like we were behind,’’ said Colony, whose 23-1 Wildcats face No. 6 Kearney in today’s 7 p.m. semifinal.
“We had to fight pressure with pressure and the kids responded. Our seniors have been stepping up all year. This is the third time they’ve been at state, and I think that experience was big in the fourth quarter.”
Heather Pohl scored eight of her game-high 22 points for the Wildcats in the final period. Pohl, who also grabbed 13 rebounds, was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the last eight minutes, including two that opened up a 53-43 lead with 3:03 left.
Millard West finished 21-of-25 at the line.
Pohl struggled from the field for three quarters, making just 4 of 17 shots.
“Nerves played a big part of that,” said Pohl, who was 11-of-14 from the stripe. “That’s why we work so hard on free throws, just in case our shots aren’t falling. That’s what won it for us in the end.’’
Junior standout guard Jasmin Corbin was also a factor in the decisive run, scoring on a driving layup and a pull-up 10-foot jumper.
Free-throw shooting hurt the Crusaders (16-9), particularly in the fourth quarter, when they were 1-of-7. Sophomores Claire Tokheim and Rachel Thrash paced the Crusaders with 11 points apiece.
“If we hit those free throws and make some open shots we had in the fourth quarter, we would’ve been okay,” Marian coach Jim Miller said. “We had trouble keeping them (the Wildcats) off the boards, and that hurt.”
Millard West outrebounded Marian 44-30.
--Ron Powell
Kearney 61, Omaha Westside 57, OT: Kearney was 8-of-22 at the free-throw line in its district final win against Grand Island last week, so putting the sixth-ranked Bearcats at the stripe might have been part of No. 7 Omaha Westside’s game plan.
But 32 Westside fouls resulting in 44 Bearcat free-throw attempts were probably a little much. Kearney sank 31 of those foul shots, the key statistic in the Bearcats’ 61-57 first-round overtime win Thursday in the Class A girls state basketball tournament at the Devaney Sports Center.
“We worked on them a lot this week, but free throws are so mental, I don’t know how much it helped,” said Kearney coach Jason Boyd, whose Bearcats bring a 22-3 record into today’s 7 p.m. semifinal against No. 2 Millard West.
“We put them (the players) in pressure situations shooting them in practice,’’ added Boyd, whose team was 18-of-21 at the line in the first half, but still trailed 30-27. “It must’ve helped.”
With four Westside starters with four fouls in the fourth quarter, the strategy was to drive the ball aggressively to the basket. Sophomore Nicole Arp was the main benefactor of that plan, as she was 9-of-12 from the line in the fourth quarter and overtime en route to a game-high 24 points.
“This is the first game I’ve done very well with my free throws,” said Arp. “I’m not a three-point shooter. Taking the ball strong to the hole, that’s more my game.’’
Westside (17-9) took a 43-36 lead into the fourth quarter and held a 49-43 advantage with 5:32 left after two free throws by Chelsea Greco.
Kearney clawed its way back behind 10 fourth-quarter points from Arp. The Bearcats tied it at 55 with two Arp free throws with 1:14 left.
The Warriors then worked for the last shot in regulation, but a 23-footer from standout senior guard Shelly Martin hit the front of the rim in the final seconds.
Martin, who finished with 16 points, was one of three Warriors in double figures. Kelsey Anderson had 18 points, while Sarah Nelson chipped in 16.
Arp scored five of Kearney’s six points in overtime, putting the Bearcats in front to stay 59-57 with two free throws at the 1:20 mark. After a Westside miss on the next possession, Kearney ran the clock down to 13.4 seconds before Arp was fouled and she hit 1 of 2 free throws. The teams exchanged turnovers in the final 6.7 seconds as Westside was unable to get a three-point attempt off in its two possessions.
Maggie Maher produced the final score with a free throw with .2 second left. Maher, an all-state guard last season at Centennial as a sophomore, finished with 12 points. Arp’s older sister, Ashley Arp, added 15.
Westside had three players foul out, all in overtime.
“We never adjusted defensively,’’ said Westside coach Scott Persigehl, who had just 10 players suited up. Two varsity players, Elizabeth Anderson and Chaeli Greco, suffered season-ending knee injuries earlier this winter.
“The aggressive defense, going over the top, that’s how we’ve played all year,’’ he added. “You can’t put a team as good as Kearney at the free-throw line that many times and expect to win.’’
—Ron Powell
Millard North 43, Bellevue East 39: Wild-card team Millard North survived a couple of scares in the final seconds and held on for its second victory against the Chieftains this season.
Bellevue East, down 41-39, missed a game-tying shot in the lane with 6.6 seconds left. Millard North missed two free throws, giving the Chieftains yet another chance, but a game-winning three-point attempt didn’t draw iron with 0.2 seconds showing.
Kristen Conahan, who led Millard North with 13 points, then made two free throws to account for the final margin.
Millard North (20-4) won despite hitting no field goals in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs were 9-of-14 from the free-throw line in the period.
The Mustangs’ 6-foot-7 center Melissa MacFarlane attempted only four shots — only one after halftime — and had eight points.
“Melissa has to be active, and we have to get the ball inside to her,” Millard North coach Jeff Ritz said, explaining one key for today’s semifinal game against top-ranked Lincoln Southeast.
What else must happen to beat the Knights?
“Hope they go to Grand Island,” Ritz said, before taking a more serious tone. “We have to step through our passes and be aware that they’re so good rotating on the press.”
Mercedees Morgan had 13 points to lead Bellevue East (21-7).
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