Laura Macke

Nemaha Central lady Thunder avenged last season’s loss in the Hiawatha Invitational to the host Hiawatha by beating the Red Hawks this year in the Championship 44-32 to win the tournament for the fourth time in the last five years.

Helping lead the way to the tournament win and on the court this year has been junior, Laura Macke who posted 15, 10 and 18-point performances in the three tournament wins for Nemaha.

The Thunder started the tournament off taking down Lansing JV with a 59-23 win in the first round and Macke led the way with 15 points. In the Semifinals Nemaha took on St. Mary’s and rolled to a 52-36 win, a game in which Laura netted 10 points. In the Championship game Nemaha used a strong second half to top Hiawatha 44-32 as they lead by just four at halftime. Macke spear headed the Thunder attack in the second half scoring 16 of her 18 points after halftime and netting 55% of the teams points after intermission in the win.

Through 13 games Nemaha Central sits at 12-1 on the season and ranked #4 in the KBCA Class 3A rankings and Macke has been at the forefront leading the charge averaging 12.9 points, seven rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Laura has posted double figures in 10 of the team 13 games this season with her season best performance coming against Holton with 26 points hitting 8-10 from the line, while her team went 20-30 in the win.

The lady Thunder look to continue to roll through the season as they aim to finish the regular season strong and set themselves up for a run in the postseason with Macke helping lead the way with her teammates.