The Nemaha Central Middle School boys basketball team kicked off the start of the second half of the season on Monday, January 30. The Thunder team has kept high energy all year and even though they are not undefeated, both the 7th and 8th grade teams are dangerous competitors for the Big 7 League title.
The eighth grade A-team game opened up and the Thunder team jumped ahead early in the first quarter with the lead, 11-5. The Thunder built on their lead in the second quarter and extended it to 10 points at halftime with the score being 23-13.
The second half of the game started off with a scoring frenzy where both teams increased their scores by nine points leaving the score at the end of the quarter at 32-22 Thunder. The fourth quarter saw the Thunder add eight points on their way to a victory with a final score of 40- 25.
The Thunder eighth grade B-team started off hot with the score after the first quarter, 13-2 Thunder. The Thunder kept up this offensive barrage and at halftime, the score was 21-5.
After halftime, the Thunder settled down and added a few more points to leave the score 25-13 at the end of the third quarter. The Thunder kept up the scoring in the fourth quarter and at the end of the game, the score was 31-15 with a Thunder victory.
Deryk Rosenberger said, “They played good but we played better.”
The Thunder 7th grade A-team had a battle going on in the first quarter with a 12-13 Perry lead. The Thunder tacked on several points in the second quarter while playing excellent defense, leaving the score at the half, 25-18 with the Thunder team taking the lead.
The third quarter saw even more competition and by the end, the score was tight at 32-30 with the Thunder barely holding onto the lead. The Thunder added ten more points in the fourth quarter and played tough defense, leaving the final score at 42- 34 with yet another Thunder victory.
Carter Stallbaumer said, “It was a hard game but we came home with the win.”
The final game for the seventh grade was the B-team matchup which consisted of only two quarters due to the scarcity of players. The Thunder 7th grade B-team game started off quickly with a Thunder 6-0 lead after the first quarter. The Thunder kept rolling and the end of the game resulted in a 15-5 Thunder victory.
With these hard-fought wins, the Thunder is starting off the second half of the season well and hoping to finish the season strong.
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