GIRLS = Nemaha Central 52, Holton 44

It was a really rough shooting night for the Holton Lady Cats, and the Nemaha defense, and especially huge rebounding advantage, had a lot to do with that.  The Lady Thunder never trailed in the contest after the game was briefly tied at eight.  Nemaha held Holton without a point for more than 7:30 minutes in the second quarter to gain a 21-10 halftime advantage. 

Both teams picked up the scoring in the fourth quarter as the game went from an 8 point to 20 point margin, but Nemaha Central hit 13 of 16 free throws in the final frame to seal the win and remain undefeated (7-0) heading into a huge matchup versus Sabetha on Tuesday.  Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha "Player to Bank On," Laura Macke had 13 points while Rachael Baumgartner finished with 12 and the Thunder overcame 18 turnovers, including 7 when Holton made a push in the fourth period. 

Shay Tanking scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half for Holton while Ashlyn Weilert posted all 10 of her points in the second half before fouling out and Haley Thompson added 7 fourth quarter points before the Cats dropped to 4-2 in the Big 7 and 4-3 overall.   

BOYS = Nemaha Central 52, Holton 32

Holton had a 9-6 lead before Tristan Allen took over with seven straight points that keyed a 9-0 run for Nemaha to end the first quarter with a 15-9 lead.  Both teams struggled to get any offense in the second period on the Thunder held on to a tight 20-18 advantage at the intermission.  This game was decided early in the third stanza and Nemaha went on a 11-0 run, sparked by a controversial jump ball and Nemaha shot at the wrong basket.  Yet, the Thunder rolled to a double digit margin and held Holton to just three points in the period before coasting to a 20 point win. 

Allen was the Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha "Player to Bank On" with 14 of his 18 points in the first half while Luke Holthaus added 11 and MItchell Henry scored 8 in the second half.  Nemaha (5-2, 5-1) bounced back from their first league loss at home in overtime Tuesday and (like the girls) finished a very emotional and trying week after the passing of long time Nemaha teacher and coach, Dennis Hermreck.  

Holton only had two players score the entire game until Ivan Batista hit a basket in the final seconds of the contest.  Bryson Patch scored 23 for the Wildcats and AJ Hausler added 7 before Holton fell to 2-5 overall and 2-4 in the Big 7 League.