The Nemaha Central Middle School basketball team traveled to Meriden to face Jeff West on Monday, February 6. The seventh grade teams won the last time the two teams played, while the eighth grade teams both lost. The boys were hoping to sweep the Tigers this time.
The NC Thunder eighth grade A-team kicked off the game with a lead in the first quarter with a score of 10-6. The second quarter found the teams still battling for the lead and by halftime, the score was 16-11 with NC in the lead.
The Thunder scored no points in the third quarter, while the Tigers earned the lead after adding 7 points. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder was trying to get back on top, however, each team scored 8 points. The concluding score of the game was 24-26 with Jeff West claiming the victory in a close game.
Mason Schultejans said, “It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end, they were the more fundamentally sound team.”
The NC Thunder eighth grade B-team’s score was 5-6 with Jeff West in the lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, both teams added a few points and by halftime, the score was 9-11 with Jeff West in the lead but not by a lot.
In the third quarter, the Thunder rained down points and scored 15 while the Tigers only scored 1, allowing NC to take the lead they so rightfully earned. In the last quarter, both teams traded baskets with Jeff West winning the quarter, but not the game. NC prevailed, with a score of 35-24 to add another win to their record.
The seventh grade A-team game kicked off the first quarter with a score of 7-4 with Nemaha Central in the lead. The NC team scored 8 points while Jeff West scored 5 in the second quarter making the score 15-9 in NC’s favor at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Thunder outscored the Tigers to increase their lead with a score of 26-14. The fourth quarter was a low-scoring quarter with NC adding only 3 points while holding the Tigers scoreless. The concluding score of the game was 29-14 with NC doubling the score of Jeff West.
The seventh grade B-team game started off in favor of Jeff West with a score of 2-8. The second quarter found the Thunder scoring a little more with 5 points while the Tigers only scored 3. By halftime, the score was 7-11 with Jeff West still in control.
In the third quarter, NC scored 7 while Jeff West scored 4. The Thunder was closing in on the game. The fourth quarter rolled around and NC scored 7 more and only allowed Jeff West to make 3 points to get the win 21-18.
Landon Mady said, “We did really well and I’m glad we were able to win.”
Overall, NC and Jeff West fought really hard for their wins. Although the eighth grade A-team lost in a close battle, the Thunder team still had three other wins for the night.
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