The State of Nebraska at the Moratorium
We have reached the holiday moratorium in Nebraska, where each program is required to take five days off from any practices or competitions. Let’s check in on the teams and individuals that have either given us what we expected and…
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Continue ReadingWe have reached the holiday moratorium in Nebraska, where each program is required to take five days off from any practices or competitions. Let’s check in on the teams and individuals that have either given us what we expected and the teams and individuals that have perhaps surprised us a little bit.
CLASS A
What We Thought: The depth of Class A is staggering this season, with no less than thirteen teams that have been either traditional Class A schools or new additions that were expected to do well (Elkhorn) off to great starts, lead by Millard South, Fremont, Lincoln East and Lincoln Pius X. The team that looks perhaps the strongest so far this season is Millard South, lead by Maddie Krull (17 ppg) and Jayme Horan (14 ppg). These two have been bolstered by freshman Khloe Lemon (10.2 ppg), Mya Babbitt (8.6 ppg) and Cora Olsen (8.6 ppg), along with sophomore Megan Belt (8.3 ppg)
What Has Surprised Us: Three schools that are either new to Class A or were not expected to contend have thrown themselves into the mix, including North Platte (6-1), South Sioux City (3-1) and Norfolk (3-2). North Platte, lead by Gracie Haneborg‘s 21.4 ppg, has been the most surprising, but all seven of their games have been against non-Class A competition. Regardless, all three of these schools have put themselves in the wild card points mix at this time.
CLASS B
What We Thought: Class B is pretty well divided between 12 teams that are off to convincing, over .500 marks, while there are 15 teams that are well below .500. Leading the charge in Class B, as expected, are the Crete Cardinals, lead by Creighton commit Morgan Maly. York is also off to a solid start, lead by senior Natalia Dick‘s 15 ppg and supported by Maddie Portwine; the junior is averaging 13.7 ppg. Senior Miley Prine of Bennington has the Badgers off to a 5-1 start while averaging 17 a night, while returning all-stater Whitney Brown of Grand Island Northwest is tallying 18.8 points a game for the 5-1 Vikings, whose only loss is to Crete. Crete and Northwest are slated to face off in the Doane Holiday Tournament this weekend.
What Has Surprised Us: Three schools that have struggled the last few years are off to very good starts. Omaha Gross Catholic has jumped out to a 5-1 start, including three big wins on their home floor, always a tough place to play. Mackenna Sidzyik is leading the Cougars at over 15 points a contest. Omaha Mercy has also started their campaign at a very respectable 4-2, including their first win ever at Skutt Catholic. Blair has already almost matched their win total from last year, ending their pre-holiday schedule at 5-2, including a big win over Norris.
CLASS C-1
What We Thought: Lincoln Christian was our preseason pick to win Class C-1, and the Crusaders have given us no reason to doubt that, starting 7-0 before the holiday break. Fort Hays State commit Olivia Hollenbeck is averaging 15 points a night, along with eight rebounds. Preseason picks North Bend Central and Ogallala are also off to undefeated starts as well, figuring to compete and be a big part of the story in C-1 as the season progresses.
What Has Surprised Us: There are numerous schools that have gotten off to great starts, including Chadron (8-0), St. Paul (6-1), Gothenburg (6-0), Boone Central/Newman Grove (5-1) and Syracuse (6-0). However, perhaps the biggest surpise is the emergence of Douglas County West under the leadership of their first year head coach and Nebraska legend Russ Ninemire. The Falcons have started off 6-2, lead by Faith White; the sophomore is averaging over 12 points a game. The schedule for the Falcons does become much tougher after the holidays, so we’ll see how much the Falcons will continue to progress.
CLASS C-2
What We Thought: Numerous teams that were projected to do well are indeed doing well, including Fillmore Central (6-1), Crofton (6-1), Oakland-Craig (8-0), Superior (8-0) and Hastings St. Cecilia (6-0). Seniors Tori Thomas (11.8 ppg) and Makenna Asher (11.6 ppg) have led the way for preseason pick Hastings St. Cecilia, while Briar Cliff commit Kennedy Benne is averaging 15.5 tallies a night for Oakland-Craig. Class C-2 should be a great battle to the very end of the season.
What Has Surprised Us: Summerland has started off 6-1, including big wins over Humphery St. Francis and Stuart. Shortly after the holiday break, they will be taking on North Central, which should be another great challenge. Guardian Angels Central Catholic is also back in Class C-2, starting the season 6-1, which includes a big win over northeast Nebraska rival Crofton. Coach Jerry Stracke has the Bluejays back towards the top of the rankings in Class C-2.
CLASS D-1
What We Thought: Like Class C-2, D-1 has quite a few teams that were expected to do well that are off to hot starts. CWC (5-0), lead by Taylor Peters’ 22 points a night, leads the way. Other contenders, like Pleasanton (7-0), Humphery/Lindsay-Holy Family (7-0), Johnson-Brock (5-0), Weeping Water (7-0) and Dundy County-Stratton (7-0) figure to contend all season long, and with minimal match-ups between these schools, many of them figure to have sparkling records at the end of the campaign.
What Has Surprised Us: Defending champion Fremont Bergan, despite losing two all-staters, has started off the 2019-20 campaign at a very respectable 5-2 clip, including quality wins over Omaha Roncalli and Nebraska City Lourdes. Lauren Baker, a junior, is leading the Knights with 13.1 points a night. Pender has struggled a bit out of the gate, starting out 4-3, but their three losses have been to teams that have a combined record of 21-0, so look to the Pendragons to continue to improve.
CLASS D-2
What We Thought: Humphery St. Francis, lead by recent Nebraska committ Allison Weidner, leads the way at 4-1, but other schools are right there. Wynot (6-1), Lawrence-Nelson (5-0) and preseason pick Falls City Sacred Heart (6-1), whose only loss is to Nebraska City Lourdes, also are at the top of the class. Similar to D-1, all of these schools figure to have sterling records at the end of the season, with minimal match-ups during the regular season between contenders slated on their schedules.
What Has Surprised Us: Mullen is off to a great 7-0 start, but their schedule has not been the strongest. Nebraska-Kearney commit Samantha Moore, a junior, leads the way for the Broncos with 18 points a game. Loomis, a preseason state tournament pick, has started off 4-3, but their losses have been to quality squads Overton, SEM and Bertrand. Exeter Milligan is also 7-1, with their only loss a two point decision to Heartland.
So that’s it for the state of Nebraska at the holiday moratorium. I would like to thank everyone for their patience with the lack of new material that I have been able to produce the last couple of weeks, as we have worked our way through the passing of my father in law. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to my wife’s family for their condolences and sharing the memories that they had with him. We’ll be back with regular features starting this weekend!