The Nemaha Central Middle School boys basketball team played the Sabetha Bluejays on the Thunder’s court on Thursday, February 6, 2025. This was the last game of the regular season for the Thunder. The Thunder team warmed up in their Team Schnak shirts to help bring awareness of Type 1 Diabetes
The Thunder eighth grade A-team came ready to play. In the first quarter, the Thunder scored 8 points and only let the Bluejays score 4. The Thunder had great defense and badly wanted a win. The second quarter started nicely, with the Thunder scoring 6 however, Sabetha also scored 6. The score at halftime was 14-10 with NC on top.
The third quarter went NC’s way as they outscored Sabetha 10-4. The Thunder went on to score 8 points while Sabetha scored 5 in the fourth quarter. The final score was 32-19, which resulted in the Thunder’s first win of the season.
Tate Edelman said, “My favorite part was getting the lead early and beating Sabetha.”
The Thunder eighth grade B-team was ready to take the court. The first quarter started slowly, with the Thunder scoring only 3 points, while Sabetha got a quick head start, scoring 6. The Thunder then sped up their tempo in the second quarter, scoring 7 points, while Sabetha scored 4. The score at halftime was tied at 10-10.
The Thunder did not score in the third quarter, while Sabetha scored 4. The fourth quarter wasn’t great for the Thunder, either. They scored only 1 point, while Sabetha scored 8. The Thunder lost 11-22.
The Thunder seventh grade A-team started the first quarter only scoring 3 points while Sabetha scored 6. The second quarter was still a little slow, but the Thunder team outscored the Bluejays 5-4. At halftime, the score was 8-10 with the Thunder team trailing.
The second half had more offense, with the Thunder scoring 12 points and Sabetha scoring 10. With the score tied at 20 both teams were battling for the win in the fourth quarter. It was a close game but the Thunder lost 28-32.
The Thunder seventh grade B-team was ready to play and they took a quick lead to make the game 8-3. In the second quarter, the Thunder gave it their all and put up 5 points while Sabetha didn't score. At halftime, the Thunder were up 13-3.
The third quarter was high scoring with the Thunder scoring 13 points, but not the same for Sabetha as they only scored 4. The Thunder were headed for victory as the third quarter ended 26-7. In the fourth quarter, both teams added 6 points, but the Thunder picked up another victory with a score of 32-13.
Landen Staullbaumer said, “It was fun to play and beat Sabetha.”
The Thunder teams were playing some great basketball even though they split wins with the Bluejays. It was an exciting night for the 8th grade A-team as they were able to get their first win of the season against their county rivals.
Article by: Kollin Wagner.