On Monday, December 2, the Nemaha Central Middle School Thunder girls basketball team matched up against the Holton Wildcats. The teams knew it was going to be a tough game, but they came out ready to win.
The NC eighth grade A-team started the night off with the tipped ball, which they scored an easy layup out of. The Thunder came out ready to play in the first quarter scoring 7 points while giving up 2 points to the Wildcats. They played just as well in the second quarter, scoring easy layups. The score at halftime was 17-4.
The Thunder team came out of the locker room feeling pretty confident about the game, however, Holton scored 10 points in the third quarter. The Thunder team was able to add 7 points to their score ending the quarter still in the lead, 24-14. The Thunder team was pressured more in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t stop them. Both teams played a good fourth quarter with each team scoring 5 points. The Thunder team picked up the win with a score of 29-19.
“We did really good and we played as a team,” said Anna Hermesch.
The NC eighth grade B-team started out slow on both defense and offense. The score at the end of the quarter was 6-3 with the Thunder in the lead. Both teams were fighting for the lead, but the score at halftime was 12-12.
The Thunder team scored more points in the third quarter, putting them ahead of their opponents. The team played good defense, which resulted in the third quarter score being 20-14. The Thunder team didn’t score as many points in the fourth quarter, but they kept the lead to get the win, 29-16.
While on the seventh grade A-team side, the Thunder team started the game off slow on offense. They only scored two baskets in the first quarter, while the Wildcats scored three baskets. The score after the first quarter was 4-6, with a Wildcat lead. The second quarter was pretty evenly matched with the Thunder scoring 3 points, while the Wildcats scored 4 points. The Wildcats had the lead at halftime, 10-7.
The second half was just as competitive as the first half, however, the Thunder outscored the Wildcats in the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, the Thunder was down by 1 point. The Thunder was trying hard to win the game but only managed to score 4 points. The Wildcats matched them with 4 points of their own to get the win. The Thunder suffered their first loss of the season, 15-16.
“We knew it would be a tough game. We played our best, but it wasn’t enough to pull out a win,” said Emmery Schmelzle.
The seventh grade B-team only played two quarters. The Thunder team scored 6 points, while only allowing the Wildcats to score 2 points. The Thunder team was in the lead with a score of 6-2. In the second quarter, the Thunder team matched the Wildcats points, keeping the Thunder in the lead. The Thunder won the game with a score of 10-6.
In conclusion, the teams played very well, even if they didn’t win all the games. The Thunder team knows what they need to work on for their last two games. They are looking forward to and working hard in the remaining days to add a couple more wins to their record.
Click the link below for more pictures of the Holton basketball game.