The Nemaha Central Middle School Thunder girls basketball team played against Holton on Monday, November 4. The eighth grade and seventh grade games were held at 4:30 pm in Holton.
The eighth grade A-team game started out with Holton in the lead, and they kept the lead. By the end of the first quarter, it was 7-2, Holton. After a brief huddle with the coaches, the NC girls went back onto the court determined to improve their game. With the offense stepping up to score and the defense holding strong, NC pulled ahead. At halftime, the score was 9-8, with the Thunder team on top.
The third quarter of the game had everyone on edge. Both teams were playing great defense, and the offense part of the game was slow. The third quarter ended with Holton regaining the lead by one, 12-11. The fourth quarter was just as nail-biting as the third. Several fouls were called on Holton, allowing NC the opportunity to shoot free throws. NC was not going to give up as they were playing aggressively and were fighting for each basket. Towards the end of the quarter, Holton hit a 3 to go up by one point. The game was close and with 22 seconds left in the quarter, NC pulled everything they had together, winning the game with the final score 20-17.
Maggie Koch said, “We fought hard and in my opinion, we played so good together. We had a great time and we loved getting revenge on Holton from volleyball.”
The eighth grade B-team played an amazing game against Holton. NC started out tough, scoring nine points in the first quarter and only allowing Holton to score two. In the second quarter, Holton fought back, but with NC’s great defense, Holton only scored two more points. NC stayed in the lead by scoring four points of their own to make the halftime score 13-4.
In the third quarter of the game, NC started strong again, scoring several baskets. Holton, determined, pushed back, but NC kept the lead, 19-8. In the fourth and final quarter, NC really pushed through, scoring several points. Holton scored once more in the fourth quarter, but NC got the win with a score of 27-10.
In the seventh grade A-team game, NC had a well played game against Holton. In the first quarter, NC started out strong, scoring a total of four points, leaving Holton behind. In the second quarter, NC stayed tough, continuing to push their defense and run their offense. By the end of the second quarter, NC had a larger lead, 12-4.
In the third quarter, after a quick huddle with the coaches, NC got back onto the court, ready to continue what they had been doing. Holton stepped up their defense, allowing only six points to be scored by NC. Holton ran more plays on offense, but only scored two points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, both teams were determined to score. With great plays, defense, and teamwork, NC ended the final quarter with 23 total points, while Holton had 9 points.
Carli Rottinghaus said, “We played a hard team, but we came out with a good win.”
In the seventh grade B-team game, NC scored two baskets in the first quarter while Holton only managed one basket. In the second quarter of the game, both teams played amazing defense, preventing each other from scoring a single basket. The halftime score was 4-2, with a Thunder lead.
In the third quarter, NC stepped up their offense, feeding the ball to their post, who scored six points. Holton also stepped up, scoring four points by the end of the third quarter. The score was now 10-6. In the fourth and final quarter, NC was unable to add to their score, ending the game with 10 points. Holton played great defense and was determined to win. Holton scored five points in the final quarter, to win the game by one point, 10-11. This was the first loss for the Thunder seventh grade B-team.
Overall, Holton played very well, challenging NC to step up their level of play.
Below is a link for pictures of the game.