The Nemaha Central Girls Basketball team traveled to Sabetha on Monday, December 5 to play the Bluejays for their last game of the season. Prior to the game, the 8th grade A-team was 11-2 within the league. The 7th grade A-team was undefeated at 13-0 and hoping to keep their streak alive.
The Thunder 8th grade A-team started off the night in the Sabetha Middle School. Having a slow start, the NC girls were trailing 2-6 at the end of the first quarter. Trying to get back in the game, the Thunder scored eight points in the second quarter. The Thunder's defense stayed strong, only allowing the Bluejays to score five. Heading into halftime the Thunder team was up 11-10, and ready to put up a fight for the win.
Going into the third quarter, both teams were determined to get the lead. Sabetha scored six points and Nemaha Central scored two. The Thunder was now behind by three points, 13-16 at the end of the third quarter. Still in the game, NC held out hope heading into the fourth quarter. Not being able to find the basket to score, the Thunder lost the game by eight points. The final score was 14-22 with Sabetha getting the win.
The 8th grade B-team started off with both teams playing tenacious defense. The Thunder held Sabetha to two points but were not able to find any of their own. Headed into the second quarter down 0-2, NC was determined to put some points on the board. The Bluejays kept putting pressure on the Thunder team, only allowing them to score two. Nemaha Central also had amazing defense to keep the game close. The first half ended with Sabetha in the lead, 2-6.
Nemaha Central came out after halftime on fire. The Thunder team held the Bluejays to four points and scored eight of their own to tie the game up, 10-10. In the fourth quarter, both teams were ready to score. The Lady Thunder scored six points, but their defense could not remain strong. The Bluejays scored nine, winning the game with a score of 16-19.
Addison Tangeman said, “Even though we lost, we played really hard and made it a battle.”
The 7th grade A-team started the game off with intensity. Having lockdown defense, the Lady Thunder kept the Bluejays from scoring any points. The score at the end of the quarter was 9-0, Nemaha Central. Going into the second quarter, the Lady Thunder remained strong, only allowing Sabetha to score two points. Putting four points on the board, NC ended the first half in the lead with a score of 13-2.
In the second half, Sabetha was ready to put up a fight. The Bluejays scored eight points but were still down by five. Heading into the fourth quarter, the score was 15-10, Nemaha Central in the lead. The Lady Thunder found their defense again and only allowed Sabetha to score five. NC went on a scoring drive, putting 13 points up making the ending score 28-15, for a Thunder win.
The Thunder 7th grade B-team started off with vicious defense, not allowing the Bluejays to score. Nemaha Central’s offense could not be stopped. The score at the end of the first quarter was 9-0, NC in the lead. In the second quarter, the Lady Thunder’s defense remained tough, keeping the Bluejays scoreless. NC also had a hard time scoring, only putting two more points on the board. The score at the end of the first half was 11-0 with the Thunder in control.
In the third quarter, the Lady Thunder allowed the Bluejays to score three. NC went on a scoring drive and lengthened their lead making the score 20-3. In the fourth quarter, the Bluejays could not find an answer to the Thunder's defense. Sabetha also played tough defense only allowing NC to score two points. The final score was 22-3, and the Lady Thunder walked away with the win.
Lena Hynek said, “There was only one thing we could control, which was how hard we could play, and we played our hardest.”
Although not all teams could get the win, the Lady Thunder did amazing. The 7th grade A-team ended the season undefeated, with a record of 16-0 overall. The 7th grade B-team also had a successful winning season. The 8th grade A-team finished the season with a record of 13-3. The 8th grade B-team also finished with a winning record for the season. The Thunder basketball teams were very successful and are looking forward to next year’s basketball season.
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