The Nemaha Central Middle School basketball girls started the season at home against the St. Marys Bears on Monday, October 28, 2024. Darrin Hermesch, Jessie Macke, and Bethany Griffith coach the Thunder team. The eighth grade team has nine players and the seventh grade team has ten. They also have three managers, Emma Tangeman, Liv Anderson, and Aubrey Wood.
The eighth grade A-team kicked off the night battling their nerves but playing well. The first quarter was going well, but the Thunder team was down 5-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Thunder started playing more aggressively to outscore the Bears and take the lead going into halftime, 13-9.
The second half was similar to the first half. In the third quarter, the Thunder only scored a couple of baskets but kept the lead 17-15. In the fourth quarter, the girls were hoping to extend the lead and close out the game and they did just that. The Thunder finished the game with a win, 23-15.
Eighth grader Alyssa Griffith said, “It was a great first game and I was excited to pull out our first win.”
The seventh grade A-team didn’t have as good of luck as the eighth grade. The first quarter was tough for them and they were down 2-8 by the end. Going into the second quarter, they tried hard but could not improve much ending the first half, 5-12.
The Thunder team couldn't gain the lead in the third quarter but tried their best to keep the Bears from scoring. Both teams scored two points and the quarter ended 7-14 in favor of the Bears. The Thunder team played better in the last quarter and tried to catch the Bears. They scored eight more points but it wasn’t enough and they were defeated with a final score of 15-20.
Seventh grader Logan Honeyman said, “I think we played pretty well for our first game, even though we lost.”
In the B-team game, both teams combined their seventh and eighth grade B-teams to make one team. In the first quarter of the game, the teams were trying to figure things out, but both were able to score. The quarter ended 3-2 with the Thunder leading. The second quarter was about the same as both teams started scoring a little more. The Thunder still had the lead of 9-8 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Thunder girls tried to hold St. Marys but the Bears took the lead by the end with a score of 11-12. Even though the Thunder girls tried hard, they weren't able to pull ahead and lost with a score of 13-20.
The Thunder girls fought hard throughout the night, even though only the eighth grade A-team won. The girls got the first game jitters out and are ready to practice and get better before the next game.
Article By: Piper Hiltgen and Olivia Hermesch