Trophies

It’s conference tournament time and teams are starting to separate (a little bit) and add some big wins to their postseason resumes. This makes it both harder and easier to rank some teams. Last week and this week are big conference tournament weeks, so the action is fast and furious nearly every night of the week.

Time for a new girls basketball Power 20, some coaching news and quick notes as we hold on for dear life through February and March. As always, if you enjoy the Newsletter we’d love it if you would share with your friends by forwarding this e-mail or sharing a link on social media.

We are glad you are with us!! Let’s dive in.

The Girls Hoops Power 20

Man, did we have some big results last week that are going to shake this week’s Power 20 up just a bit.

The great thing about these rankings? They will change before we cut the nets down. All records through games played last night, January 23rd. We make these rankings based on conversations with coaches throughout the state, by watching games, and with our gut if we are being honest.

1 - Millard West (16-1): The ‘Cats are now the hunted as they move to the top spot after Waverly took down Elkhorn North in a stunner last Friday night. Sights are still set on that Class A title, and a big game with Millard North looms on Friday. Last week: 2.

2 - Elkhorn North (15-1): It’s hard to drop the Wolves much past the two line here as they hold a win over Millard North in the last 10 days. But, did Waverly crack the code? The next month will give us the answer. Last week: 1.

3 - Millard North (13-4): A strong week for Millard North with win over Power 20 foes Papillion-LaVista South and Omaha Westside. The Mustangs appear posed for a deep postseason run. Last week: 4.

4 - Lincoln North Star (13-2): After the big win over Northeast, the Navigators have added four more wins, but just one against a team with a winning record. Pius on Friday will test the ranking. Last week: 5.

5 - Lincoln Southwest (14-3): Basketball can be a silly game. Ask Tim Barada and Fred Hoiberg. (Wink) After losing to Bellevue East over the weekend, the Silverhawks bounce back with a dominating 62-42 win over Lincoln Northeast. Kennadi Williams: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Decent. Last week: 3.

6 - Omaha Skutt Catholic (17-1): The Skyhawks keep rolling with wins over then-No. 10 Omaha Central last week and Class B, No. 7 Bennington last night. Last week: 7. 

7 - Papillion-LaVista South (11-4): A split with Millard North and Lincoln Northeast last week is enough to keep the momentum going for the Titans. May need three straight wins to stay here. Last week: 8.

8 - Lincoln Northeast (13-4): The Rockets momentum has slowed with back-to-back losses to Papio South and Lincoln Southwest. Last week: 6.

9 - Bellevue West (9-6): Got the wins over Marian and Kearney to get a little momentum and then an improbable 60-57 win over Omaha Westside last night when Mia McVay got a steal and was fouled on a 3-point heave. She made all three free throws for a 60-57 win. Last week: 11. 

10 - Omaha Westside (11-8): Have lost three in a row, but just drop one spot. Need a win over Marian on Thursday night to right the ship. Last week: 9. 

11 - Sidney (18-0): The Raiders are the real deal. Rolled through the Western Conference tournament last week. Last week: 12.

12 - Omaha Central (13-5): The loss to Omaha Skutt last Friday was their third in a row and second to Class B competition. Last week: 10.

13 - Lincoln Southeast (13-3): We asked the Knights to pile up wins last week and so they piled up wins. No real big ones on the resume, but a bunch of nice victories. Next big chance is Bellevue West on Saturday. Last week: 14.

14 - Lincoln Pius X (10-6): Two wins in a row to set up a big Capital City game with Lincoln North Star on Friday. Last week: 15.

15 - Norris (13-2): Started the gauntlet with a 57-52 win over the Lady Orange behind 32 points from Grace Kohler at Beatrice. Lincoln Christian on Friday. Omaha Skutt and a trip to Elkhorn North next week. Last week: 17.

16 - Gretna East (11-5): With their 10-point win over Waverly on Tuesday, the profile is just two good. Four of the five losses to teams in the Power 20. What a big chance against Lincoln Southwest on Friday. Last week: 19.

17 - Beatrice (15-2): Won the Trailblazer tournament in dominating fashion, but the close loss to Norris keeps them here. Last week: 18.

18 - Waverly (10-4): The Vikings have an interesting profile. Wins over Norris and Elkhorn North, but losses to York and Scottsbluff (though short-handed). That said, if you beat the Wolves you probably deserve a spot here. Last week: NR.

19 - Omaha Marian (12-5): The Crusaders have lost three of five, but got coach Tom Tvrdy his 500th career win last night over Omaha South. Last week: 16.

20 - Grand Island Central Catholic (17-1): It’s time for the Crusaders, who toppled Lincoln Christian 44-42 in the Centennial Conference final on Carolyn Maser’s putback at the buzzer. Last week: NR.

Fell out: Crofton, Lincoln Christian.

Up Next (listed alphabetically by class): Bellevue East (10-6), Papillion-LaVista (10-3), Bridgeport (17-0), Lincoln Christian (15-2), Minden (14-2), Crofton (17-0), Guardian Angels CC (15-1), Pender (18-0).

Coaches Polls + More

Not the New Hampshire primary, but each week our Tony Chapman will compile the girls basketball coaches poll and Mike Sautter the boys poll for nebpreps with help from coaches around the state. All season long, you can also catch game reports from Jacob Padilla for some of the best basketball content in the state. (The Newsletter is also a big fan of Jacob’s “Top Performance” tweets.) And, vote for the Pinnacle Bank Game of the Week with Mike Sautter as well.

UP TO DATE: ALL HOOPS THE SCORES: BOYS // GIRLS. Plus, point standings: BOYS // GIRLS

ODDS AND ENDS: Fremont’s Juan Gonzalez was named the Gatorade male runner of the year for cross country earlier this week. The Tiger junior was the 2023 Class A state champion. Dueling: We know our Newsletter isn’t for wrestling fans always, but there is so much good stuff out there that you know where to get it. Like the Mike-Chuck Show. State duals (A bracket, B bracket, C bracket, D bracket) this weekend in Kearney and girls sub-districts leading to next weekend’s district tournaments.

NEW CLIPPER NEEDED: Malcolm High School announced on Tuesday the resignation of head girls basketball coach Andy Klepper effective at the end of the school year. Klepper has accepted another teaching position closer to his home in Wahoo and has a young family.

“We are going to miss Andy very much,” Malcolm athletic director Dallas Sweet told Harvest Sports. “But, we are excited for Andy and his future. One thing we told Andy is you only get to be a dad one time and this will give him a much better opportunity to spend more time with his family.

“He put in countless hours for the betterment of our kids and his family had to sacrifice for that and our school is grateful for Andy’s time as a Clipper.”

The Season: Episode Two

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Our second episode of The Season presented by Tom Dinsdale Automotive dropped last Tuesday. This episode followed the Centura girls and their “colorful” coach Laethion Brown in a win over Gibbon.

“The game honors GRIT.” You dang right it does, coach.

Also, new Facebook page alert, where you can watch the full episode too.

Things That Make You Smile

We know the games are heating up as January ends and we roll into February. It’s also nice to have a constant reminder that all of these games and competitions should bring us great joy as we watch our kids represent their school and their town.

Life, we know, can be very fragile and anytime we question a coach or berate an official, or a scorer’s table — all of whom are always trying to give their very best for teams and student-athletes — we greatly diminish the experience of the game. Here’s to hoping that for the next 40 days or the rest of our lives really, we can enjoy the games and enjoy the spirit of competition that makes our lives better for the lessons we learn in the arena.

Run. Watch. Do whatever it is you need to do with JOY. Just like kids. We should do that too.