The Nemaha Central Lady Thunder basketball team took on the Hiawatha Red Hawks for their last home game on Monday, November 29, 2021. The Thunder team had some great competition and fought hard to the end.
Starting the night, the eighth grade A-team stepped onto the court ready to play. In the first quarter, the Thunder team had a slow start and found themselves down, 2-8. The Thunder team could not get things going in the second quarter either, finishing the half with a score of 6-15.
Once halftime was over, the Thunder athletes marched onto the court with confidence. The team played well and took control of the game ending the third quarter with a lead of 16-15. From the beginning of the fourth quarter to the end, the Thunder team lost some of their momentum and came up three points short, losing 21-24.
“It was slow at first, but we turned it around in the second half and did amazing, even though we lost,” said Laura Deters.
For the eighth-grade B-team game, some of the seventh graders were added to the roster. After the first quarter, both teams were tied 6-6. Both teams were fighting for the lead in the second quarter, but the teams ended up tied by the end of the first half 13-13.
After halftime, the Thunder team was ready to play but only scored one point, trailing in the third quarter 14-19. The NC team was more confident going into the fourth quarter scoring seven points, but sadly they came up short losing the game 21-26.
While the eighth grade was playing on one court, the seventh grade A-team was playing on the other. The seventh grade A-team walked onto the court ready to play in the first quarter. They fought hard for a lead but ended the quarter tied 6-6. In the second quarter, the Thunder team decided to bring the pressure defense, not letting Hiawatha score any baskets. The final score of the first half was 14-6 with a Thunder lead.
The team stepped onto the court with great confidence ready to win the game. The Thunder girls stayed in control in the third quarter 20-12. During the final quarter, the game was intense but the Thunder team pulled through and came out on top 22-18.
“We went out onto the court knowing it was going to be a tough game, but also knowing all we had to do was take care of business and we’d be fine. Sure enough, that’s what we did and ended up winning,” said Mykal Novotny.
After the A-team's victory, the seventh-grade B-team was ready to play. The team fought hard but only made two points in the first quarter. The Thunder was trailing 2-5 to the Red Hawks. After the first quarter, the Thunder team tried to get back in the game but found themselves down more by halftime 4-12.
After halftime, the Nemaha Central seventh grade B-team gained some momentum, holding the Red Hawks scoreless and cutting their lead. The score was 8-12 by the end of the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, the Lady Thunder team gave up too many points losing the game 11-24.
Although not every team won, all Thunder teams strived to win but couldn’t quite pull through. The Thunder girls are excited to travel to Royal Valley for their next game since they had a clean sweep the last time they met.
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