The Nebraska girls and boys basketball seasons officially came to a close on Saturday as six championships were decided at Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena.
In the first game of the day, Humphrey Lindsay Holy Family held off Shelton to claim the Class D1 girls championship. Each team was in search of their first state title. Shelton shot just 22% from the field for the game and was just 4 of 28 from the 3 point line. Holy Family was 32% from the field but made enough shots to secure a 42-34 win.
In the C1 boys championship, it came down to the final shot. Auburn entered the championship game looking for their 4th straight title while Ashland Greenwood was in search of their first ever. Ashland Greenwood’s Evan Shepard knocked down a three at the buzzer to give the Bluejays a thrilling 36-33 win.
The highly anticipated Class B girls championship game between Elkhorn North and Omaha Skutt was not as exciting as the last meeting when Elkhorn North won 62-60. Each team had just one loss entering the title game and that was to each other. The Lady Wolves controlled the game for the most part on their way to a 49-36 win. Sophomore star Britt Prince led the way with a game high 21 points.
The Class C2 girls championship went down to the wire. Hastings St. Cecilia and Bridgeport battled back and forth with St. Cecilia hanging on for a 40-38 victory. Bridgeport had a chance down by 2 in the final seconds but turned it over with 5 seconds left as the Hawkettes claimed their 7th state title and their 3rd in the last 4 years.
The Class A boys final would feature Bellevue West vs Millard North for the third year in a row. Millard North would claim their second consecutive championship. North pulled away in the 2nd half led by David Harmon who finished with a game high 26 points.
The final championship game was for the Class D2 boys title. Parkview Christian ran away from St. Mary’s for a 64-48 win. Parkview shot 52% from the field and was 7 of 14 from the 3 point line. It was Parkview Christian’s first state championship after finishing as runner-up last year.
