On Monday, January 20, the Nemaha Central Middle School boys basketball teams traveled to Jeff West to play their seventh game of the season. The Thunder teams required improvement, with both the eighth grade squads currently holding records of 0-6. In contrast, the Tigers' teams were undefeated at 6-0.
The eighth grade A-team game began with Tate Edelman tipping off for the NC boys. Unfortunately, the Thunder struggled offensively and defensively in the first quarter, scoring only 4 points while Jeff West accumulated 18. The quarter ended with a score of 4-18. As the second quarter began, the Thunder continued to face challenges on defense, allowing the Tigers to score 14 points. The Thunder managed to add just 4 more points, bringing the halftime score to 8-32.
After a break, the NC boys returned for the third quarter, but their struggles continued. They scored a mere 3 points while Jeff West added another 13, bringing the score to 11-45 by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the NC boys needed to elevate their game to stand a chance, but things didn’t improve. Even with substitutions, they could not turn the tide, and the game concluded with a final score of 11-56.
Drivyn Hynek remarked, “We played hard and hope to get better next game.”
Following the tough loss for the eighth grade A-team, the B-team starters took the court against the Tigers B-team. The game began with Aidan Henry tipping off for the Thunder. The Thunder defense struggled initially, allowing 6 points while scoring only 2 themselves, ending the first quarter at 2-6. As the second quarter kicked off, the Thunder managed to score a bit more while tightening their defense. However, the Tigers maintained their advantage, ending the quarter with a score of 4-14.
After halftime, the Thunder were re-energized, but unfortunately, their performance declined. They failed to score in the third quarter while Jeff West added 16 points, making the score 4-30. In the fourth quarter, Jeff West ramped up their game, scoring 8 while the Thunder added 4. The final score for the eighth grade B-team game was 8-38.
Next up was the seventh grade A-team game. The Thunder boys came out ready to play but struggled offensively, scoring only 2 points while the Tigers scored 8, ending the first quarter with a score of 2-8. As the second quarter progressed, the game became more competitive. However, Jeff West continued to score, ending the quarter with 12 points while the Thunder managed only 2, leaving the halftime score at 4-20.
After halftime, the Thunder made improvements, upping their defense and scoring 10 points while limiting Jeff West to 7, bringing the third quarter score to 14-27. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder aimed for strong performances on both ends of the floor. They scored 11 points, matching Jeff West's score, with the final result ending at 25-38.
Finally, the seventh grade B-team hoped for a better outcome than the A-team game. The game was a close one in the first half and that continued into the second half. At the start of the fourth quarter, the NC boys were up by 2 with a score of 23-21. The Tigers tied the game up by the end of the quarter at 33. In overtime, the Thunder just couldn't get their shots to fall and they lost the game 35-39.
Abbott Sullivan said, "We played hard and almost won the game."
The Thunder boys are struggling to win games, but they are improving their skills. They hope to peak at tournament time and surprise other teams.
Article by: Tyson Beebe-Dishong