The 2017 Nebraska Girls State Basketball Championships are underway in Lincoln. The first round of Class A and B games finished up Thursday evening, and Classes A and B Semifinal games have started this afternoon. Winners of today's games will compete in the championship games tomorrow. For a full schedule of this weekend's action, head here.
Final Updates:
Update (8:23 p.m.):
Final: Lincoln Southwest 56, Millard South 51 (OT):
No. 4 Lincoln Southwest upset No. 2 Millard South tonight in the Class A State Championship at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Silver Hawks came out with a 56-51 overtime win over the Patriots.
Millard South's Grace Rasmussen led three Patriots in double-digits with 12 points. Lincoln Southwest's Alex Barada led the Silver Hawks with 18 points including several crucial three-pointers.
Update (7:45 p.m.):
The Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks fought its way back after a six point deficit with 3:35 to go in the third quarter. The Silver Hawks trailed 31-25 towards the end of the third quarter but a three-pointer by Alex Barada cut the Patriots lead to 31-28 with two minutes to play in the third. Barada sank another clutch three-pointer to tie the game 31-31 with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Patriots and Silver hawks finished the third quarter tied 31-31.
Update (7:13 p.m.):
The Patriots struggled on offense in the second quarter only adding three points and allowing the Silver hawks eight points giving them a chance to catch up early on in the second half. Silver Hawks trail 17-14 at halftime.
Millard South's Grace Rasmussen led the Patriots at halftime scoring eight of their 17 points. Lincoln Southwest's Jaden Fergusen tallied up six points to lead the Silver Hawks in the first half.
Update (6:54 p.m.):
No. 2 Millard South faces No. 4 Lincoln Southwest for the 2017 NSAA Class A State Championships. The Silver Hawks trailed to start out the first quarter but a layup by Alex Barada tied the game 6-6 with five minutes to play in the first quarter. After that the Patriots defense put a stop to Lincoln Southwest and scored eight more points on the Silver Hawks to finish the first quarter with a 14-6 lead.
Update (3:15 p.m.):
FINAL: South Sioux City 48, Norris 44:
With just four minutes to go the Class-B State Championship was tied up 38-38, South Sioux City then started to pull away with a jumper by Carissa Powell followed by a three-pointer from Kori Fisher to give the Cardinals a 43-39 lead with two minutes to play.
Norris put up a fight answering with a layup from McKenna Sullivan to cut the Cardinals lead to 43-41 with a little over a minute left. South Sioux City made a three free throws to bring its lead to 46-41.
Titans' Madelyn Ramsey knocked down a three-pointer to bring Norris two points away from a tie with 18 seconds remaining.
Norris made a steal and missed two jumpers to give the Cardinals the possession. After free throws made by South Sioux City's McKenna Sims they captured the title with a 48-44 win over Norris.
Update (2:37 p.m.):
Norris continued to put the pressure on South Sioux City in the third quarter. A layup by Titan's Rylie Bryant tied up the game at 24-24 with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter. After several lead changes the Cardinals took back the lead with a layup by Marybeth Rasmussen to end the third quarter 33-31.
Update (2:00 p.m.):
The Cardinals head into the locker room with a 22-20 lead over the Titans. South Sioux City's McKenna Sims continues to lead the team with nine points while Carissa Powell follows with eight points and eight rebounds. Norris's Valerie Gabel and Anna Barent combined for 10 points in the first half.
Update (1:40 p.m.):
No. 2 South Sioux City battle No. 4 Norris in the Class-B Championships. After Norris opened with a 7-0 run South Sioux City responded taking a 11-7 lead to end the first quarter. Cardinals' McKenna Sims led the team with seven points in the first quarter while Titans' Anna Barent tallied up five points for Norris.
Semifinal Updates:
Update (10:20 p.m.)
FINAL: Millard South 55, Lincoln Pius X 47
Millard South will meet Lincoln Southwest in the Class A State Championship game Sunday at 6 p.m. Check back in tomorrow for updates from both the Class A and B state championship matchups.
Update (9:38 p.m.):
Both Millard South and Lincoln Pius X are putting on a shooting clinic early in this one. At the half, Millard South leads the Thunderbolts 30-25.
Update (9:23 p.m.):
The final semifinal matchup of the evening between Millard South and Lincoln Pius X is underway. At the end of the first quarter, the Patriots lead Pius X 11-9 with help from five points from freshman Madison Krull.
Update (8:40 p.m.):
FINAL: Lincoln Southwest 65, Lincoln Northeast 61
In one of the more thrilling games of the Girls State Basketball tournament thus far, No. 4 seeded Lincoln Southwest upset No. 1 seed Lincoln Northeast. Alex Brada hit the final two free throws with under a second left on the clock to seal a 65-61 victory for the Silverhawks.
WHAT A GAME. @lswathletics upsets Lincoln Northeast, heads to the Class A state championship game! pic.twitter.com/2g2MIjiYCC
— Omaha Sports Insider (@OSIsports) March 4, 2017
Lincoln Southwest will take on the winner of the semifinal matchup between Millard South and Lincoln Pius X in the Class A State Championship game at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Update (7:42 p.m.):
Both team's are on fire from deep which has led to a high-scoring game. At the half, Lincoln Southwest leads Lincoln Northeast 30-29. The game is on track to be the highest scoring Class A game of the state tournament thus far.
Update (7:19 p.m.):
Lincoln Southwest's Alex Brada drains a three just before the first quarter buzzer to make it a 17-17 game between the Silverhawks and Lincoln Northeast. Brada leads all scorers with 11 points.
The first semifinal in Class A between Lincoln Northeast and Lincoln Southwest is underway here at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The winner of this matchup will move on to face the winner of tonight's game between Millard South and Lincoln Pius X.
Lincoln Northeast comes in as the No. 1 seed, while Lincoln Southwest was seeded fourth.
(Update (5:37 p.m.)
FINAL: Norris 46, Seward 39
Norris is headed to the Class B championship game to face off against South Sioux City after taking down Seward 46-39. The Bluejays tied the game up with a minute left, but Norris caught fire and closed out the fourth quarter.
The Class B State Championship between Norris and South Sioux City will tip-off at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Update (5:00 p.m.):
Norris' Michaela Boon caught fire with a couple of three pointers in the third, giving the Cardinals a three point lead. Norris leads the Bluejays 32-29 at the end of the third.
Update (4:19 p.m.):
The second Class B semifinal game between Norris and Seward is underway. The Bluejays will look for revengs after Norris came out on top 32-30 in the district championship. The Cardinals hold a 22-18 lead over Seward at the half.
Update (4:05 p.m.):
FINAL: South Sioux City 41, York 38:
York fought back after scoring just two points in the first quarter and trailing by 10 at halftime, but it was not enough. South Sioux City held on the final possesion of the game to come away with a 41-38 win.
The Cardinals will move on to face the winner of the matchup between Seward and Norris tomorrow at 1 p.m.
.@SSCActivities is headed to the state championship game tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/g3nEDsE0Y9
— Omaha Sports Insider (@OSIsports) March 3, 2017
Update (3:23 p.m.):
After holding a 23-13 lead at the half, York came back to tie it up with just over two minutes left. York trailed by three and had a chance to tie or take the lead after they regained possession off of a turnover. Lauren Riley drained a three with just five seconds left on the clock to send it to overtime.
Update (2:57 p.m.):
South Sioux City still leads, but York is crawling back. After connecting with a couple of deep threes, York has cut the South Sioux City lead to just 29-25 at the end of the third quarter.
Update (2:40 p.m.):
York found its stride offensively, but still trails at half. South Sioux City leads it 23-13 with one half to play.
Update (2:07 p.m.):
The first Class B semifinal between York and South Sioux City has just begun. At the end of the first quarter, South Sioux City holds a 12-2 lead over York.
First round updates:
Update (10:23 p.m.):
Final: Lincoln Pius X 44, Lincoln East 36:
No. 3 Lincoln Pius X beat No. 6 Lincoln East 44-36 to advance to the semifinals against No. 2 Millard South.
After trailing 36-25 at the start of the fourth quarter the Spartans fought their way back cutting the Thunderbolts lead to 38-32 with two minutes to go. Lincoln Pius X made several free throws to help it pull away with the lead and capture the 44-36 win.
Update (9:59 p.m.):
The Thunderbolts took the largest lead of the night 34-22 with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter. A jumper by Lincoln Pius X's Lauren Taubenheim gave the Thunderbolts a 36-25 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Update (9:35 p.m.):
In the second quarter Lincoln Pius X's defense held Lincoln East only allowing them one basket with a little over three minutes remaining. Although Pius X maintained the lead as the clock ran out its defense allowed the Spartans to cut the 11 point deficit to 23-19 to end the second quarter.
Update (9:15 p.m.):
In the final game of the Class-A quarterfinals No. 3 Lincoln Pius X faces No. 6 Lincoln East.
The Thunderbolts maintain a steady lead throughout the first quarter. Pius X went into the second quarter with a 16-10 lead over Lincoln East.
Update (8:48 p.m.):
Over at the Devaney Sports Center No. 8 Seward upset No. 1 Elkhorn South.
The game was tied up 14-14 at halftime, Seward then took the lead 25-23 going into the fourth quarter.
The Storm led 34-31 with 22 seconds remaining but Bluejays Rylee Opfer hit a buzzer beater three-pointer to send it into overtime. Seward defeated Elkhorn South 38-37 in overtime to advance to the Class-B semifinals.
Update (8:30 p.m.):
Final: Millard South 47, Omaha Northwest 43:
No. 2 Millard South defeated No. 7 Omaha Northwest to advance to the semifinals. The Patriots took their largest lead in the fourth quarter 39-29 with just under five minutes to go.
Huskies Caliana Fenceroy knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Patriots lead to 40-36 with a little over two minutes to go.
Omaha Northwest's Nevaeh McKinney makes a three-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to bring the Huskies just one short of the Patriots 44-43.
After three free throws No. 2 Millard South pulled of a 47-43 win over No. 7 Omaha Northwest. The Patriots advance to the semifinals where they will face the winner of the Lincoln Pius X vs. Lincoln East game.
Update (8:00 p.m.):
The third quarter was no different, Omaha Northwest continued to fight for the lead but failed to pull away from the Patriots. With Just 2:10 to go in the third quarter the Huskies cut the Patriots lead to 26-27. Millard South answered with three-pointer by Lauren Sanders and jumper by Jayme Horan to finish the third quarter with a 32-26.
Update (7:32 p.m.):
The Huskies came out hot in the second quarter quickly adding nine points to their score. Omaha Northwest stepped up its defense only allowing the Patriots six points.
Millard South managed to maintain control of the lead heading into half with a 20-17 advantage on the Huskies.
Update (7:15 p.m.):
No. 2 Millard South takes on No. 7 Omaha Northwest for the 7 p.m. Class-A quarterfinals game at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The first quarter was another close Class-A matchup with each team taking turns with the lead. As the first quarter came to an end Millard South started to control the lead, the Patriots held a 14-8 lead at the end of the first.
Update (5:27 p.m.):
Final: Lincoln Northeast 54, Kearney 35:
No. 1 Lincoln Northeast defeated No. 8 Kearney in the Class-A Quarterfinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Rockets sealed the 54-35 with a three-pointer by Jordyn Casados.
Lincoln Northeast advances to the semifinals where the meet up with No. 4 Lincoln Southwest. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, March 3rd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Update (5:03 p.m.):
Kearney controlled the third quarter adding seven points and only allowing Lincoln Northeast to five points. The Rockets finished the third quarter with a layup by Nigeria Jones for a 39-26 lead.
Update (4:38 p.m.):
Despite a 5-0 run by Kearney to open the second quarter the Bearcats couldn't put a stop to the Rockets.
Lincoln Northeast put up 13 points in the second quarter to end the first half with a 34-19 lead over Kearney.
Update (4:15 p.m.):
No. 1 Lincoln Northeast faces No. 8 Kearney this afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Rockets dominated on offense and defense throughout the first quarter. Lincoln Northeast scored 21 points on the Bearcats and only allowed Kearney 8 points in the first quarter.
Update (3:31 p.m.):
Final: Lincoln Southwest 59, Millard West 51:
Lincoln Southwest didn't back down as it finished the fourth quarter hot, the Silver Hawks took a 56-45 lead with 2:30 remaining.
The Silver Hawks defeated Millard West in the quarterfinals 59-51. They will advance to the semifinals where they will face No. 1 Lincoln Northeast. The game is set for 7 p.m. Friday, March 3rd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Update (3:03 p.m.):
Millard West started the second half with a 6-0 run to take a 29-21 lead at the start of the third quarter. The Silver Hawks then answered with a 7-0 run to cut the Wildcats lead to 29-28 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
After a tied game 34-34 with three minutes to play in the third quarter Lincoln Southwest took the lead with a two back-to-back three-pointers.
After a Wildcats three-pointer, Lincoln Southwest held the lead 40-37 to end the third quarter.
Update (2:30 p.m.):
The first Class A matchup started at 2 p.m. with No. 4 Lincoln Southwest No. 5 Millard West. It was a tight first half as the Silver Hawks and Wildcats battled to control the lead. Millard West went into halftime with a 23-21 lead.
Update (12:20 p.m.):
The first sign of drama came during Elkhorn and York's first-round matchup. With the game all tied at 30 with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock, York had a chance to seal a win with two free throws, but missed both and sent it to overtime.
York was able to outscore Elkhorn 11-7 in the extra period and came away with a 41-37 win in Lincoln.
The first round of action in Class B began this morning with a matchup between South Sioux City and Gretna. South Sioux City came away with the first win of the state tournament after defeating the Dragons 51-40.
