The Nemaha Central girls basketball team put together a dominant second-quarter performance to pull away from Perry-Lecompton and secure a 60-39 Big East League road victory on Friday night.

The game opened as a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading baskets throughout the first quarter. The Thunder and Kaws exchanged multiple ties and lead changes in an energetic opening eight minutes before Nemaha Central closed the quarter on a small run to take a 16-12 advantage after one.

The second quarter proved to be the turning point of the night. Nemaha Central’s defense tightened, forcing turnovers and limiting quality looks, while the offense found its rhythm on the other end. Perry-Lecompton went nearly seven minutes without a field goal, allowing the Thunder to seize control. During that stretch, Nemaha Central outscored the Kaws 20-2, turning a four-point game into a commanding 36-14 lead at halftime.

Perry-Lecompton showed resilience coming out of the locker room and played the Thunder evenly over the final two quarters. The Kaws slightly outscored Nemaha Central 25-24 in the second half, but the damage done in the second quarter proved too much to overcome as the Thunder maintained control the rest of the way.

Nemaha Central was led by Emma Hermesch, who poured in a game-high 19 points. Liza Lueger provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 15 points, while Bailey Snyder and Caroline Nordhus each added nine points to round out a balanced scoring effort for the Thunder.

For Perry-Lecompton, Macie Corcoran led the way with 13 points and five rebounds, while Emmy Reed recorded a double-digit scoring night with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds.

With the win, Nemaha Central extended its winning streak to five games and improved to 7-3 overall and a perfect 3-0 in Big East League play. Perry-Lecompton, meanwhile, dropped its fourth game in the last five outings and now sits at 5-6 overall and 1-4 in league action.