The Nemaha Central Thunder Middle School basketball team tipped off their season against the Perry-Lecompton Kaws on Thursday, January 6. Ten boys went out for basketball in the eighth grade and twenty-one in the seventh grade. The Thunder coaches for this season are Schuyler Mayberry, Todd Krause, and Jason Hajek and the managers are Sebastian Randall, Cormik Hajek, Camden Scism, and Carter Stallbaumer.
Starting off the night was the eighth-grade A-team game. The Thunder were fired up and scored 15 points in the first quarter and had impeccable defense, only allowing the Kaws to score 2 points. In the second quarter, the Thunder scored 12 points, extending their lead to 22, while the Kaws were only able to add 3 points to their score. The halftime score was 27-5.
The Kaws came out of the locker room with a spark, scoring 9 points in the third quarter, but NC responded with 7 points of their own. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder put another 10 points up on the scoreboard while keeping the Kaws from scoring. The Thunder walked away with a 44-14 win starting their season 1-0.
Eli Sudbeck said, “It was great to pick up where we left off last year.”
The eighth-grade B-team game started slowly as both teams struggled to put points on the board. However, the Thunder team was able to take a 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was a different story as NC scored 6, but Perry took a 2-point lead scoring 9. The halftime score was 7-9 with Perry on top.
After halftime, the Thunder team was determined to take back their lead. NC was able to score 12 points while holding Perry to 4, taking a 6 point lead. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder team was able to score 3 points while holding the Kaws to 2 to capture the win, 22-15. Just like the A-team game, the Thunder eighth grade B-team walked away 1-0 to start their season.
In the seventh grade A-team game, NC came out hot, taking an early 15-2 lead in the first quarter. The Thunder extended their lead to 16 in the second quarter, scoring 14 points compared to 11 from the Kaws. The halftime score was 29-13.
Coming out of the locker room, NC was able to put 13 more points on the scoreboard and held Perry to 9. In the final quarter, the Thunder preserved their 20 point lead, taking a 57-37 victory to start the season.
Kalem Schmelzle said, “It was a great way to start off the season.”
In the seventh-grade B-team game, the Thunder took a quick 11 point lead. They scored 16 points and held the Kaws to only 5. The Kaws scored 4 points in the second quarter, but NC was able to stretch their lead to 18, scoring 9 points of their own. At halftime, the score was 25-9 and NC was up.
After halftime, the Thunder added to their lead again, scoring 11 points and holding the Kaws to 4. In the fourth quarter, the Thunder tacked another point onto their lead making the final score 43-19, and added another win to the Thunder’s record for the night.
It was a very successful night for the Thunder, going 4-0. The Thunder worked extremely hard and played tough. The Thunder team is excited for the remainder of their season.