2025 NSAA Boys Basketball Championships Preview
The state’s longest running state championship – there has been a state basketball tournament each year since 1911 – begins on Wednesday morning with the opening round in three of the six classes at the NSAA State Boys Basketball Championships. Classes A, C-1 and D-1 will kick off the championships on Wednesday with Classes B, C-2 and D-2 playing opening round contests on Thursday.
Four defending champions have returned: Bellevue West (A), Omaha Skutt Catholic (B), Wahoo (C-1, in Class B field) and Johnson-Brock (D-1). Johnson-Brock will look for a third consecutive Class D-1 title and has won 61 of their past 62 contests.
Up to date championship information will be delivered via the NSAA Boys Basketball Championship Central page. All first round and state semifinals will be broadcast on the NFHS Network. Saturday’s six championship contests will be broadcast on Nebraska Public Media.
CLASS A: We meet again; this time Millard North and Bellevue West play to advance
For the sixth consecutive year – back to the famous “last game in the world” Covid state basketball tournament – Millard North and Bellevue West will play each other at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the state basketball tournament.
It’s just that this year, it will be at 3:15 on Wednesday afternoon and not for the Class A state championship as it has been for the past five seasons. The moment is not lost on Millard North coach Mike Etzelmiller.
“I think going back to coach (Doug) Woodard and coach (Tim) Cannon there is a great respect between the two programs,” Etzelmiller said. “I get along with coach (Steve) Klein really well. The programs both try to do things the right way and we are just trying to continue to maintain that level of excellence.”
The Mustang-Thunderbird matchup headlines a first round of games on Wednesday in a wide open Class A field. Each game is a regular season rematch and, in each of those games, too, the lower seed has won the previous game. Bellevue West topped the Mustangs 71-61 in the second game of the year.
In the opening game, top-seeded Papillion-LaVista South (23-3) has a rematch of a 62-52 loss to district rival Papillion-LaVista (15-10). It was the Monarchs, who upset Omaha Westview in the district final and have won 9 of 10 games, that took the January 10 contest, 62-52. Titan forward Bryson Bahl is one of the top players in the state with a 21.8 points per game average.
“He’s maybe one of the best shooters, but also best competitors, in the state,” Etzelmiller said.
Second-seeded Omaha Westside is the wild card after being edged 57-55 by Lincoln Southwest (15-9) in the A-3 district final. They get a direct rematch in the 6:00 PM game on Wednesday night. The deep, and balanced, Warriors have eight players who have scored over 100 points this season. Twin juniors Makkiah and Uzziah Sanders combine for 37.3 points per game for coach Alex Bahe.
Lincoln North Star and Lincoln Southeast will end their season where it started. In the opening game of the year, it was the Knights (16-8) who edged the Navigators 50-47. North Star won a home district final over Kearney, while Southeast won at Heartland Athletic Conference champion Lincoln Northeast to advance to state.
The Millard North, Bellevue West matchup will feature two of the top big men in the state, with the Mustangs Derek Rollins and BW’s Robby Garcia. Both have plenty of experience on the state tournament stage. Rollins has averaged 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds this season, while Garcia is a near mirror image at 20.4 points and 11.7 rebounds.
“I think Derek has just steadily improved since his sophomore year and we thought he played really well for us last year (18 points and just under 10 rebounds), but he has gotten better for us this year, too,” Etzelmiller said.
He said containing Garcia will be a tall task.
“He does so many good things for them,” Etzelmiller said. “We just have to try to limit his open looks. The ball goes through his hands almost every possession, he can post up and is a great three-point shooter. He’s also a heck of a rebounder.
“But, they have some great shooters as well. I think keeping the ball out of the paint is going to be a big key in this game.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Levi Webb (Papillion-LaVista South), 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 58 assists. Samuel Boudreau (Papillion-LaVista), 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds/game. Coriahnn Gallatin (Millard North), 12 points, 1.1 rebounds/game, 82 assists. Bryce Johnson (Bellevue West), 13.7 points, 5 rebounds/game, 154 assists. Emre Gedik (Omaha Westside), 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds/game. Jaxyn Cruise (Lincoln Southwest), 13.5 points, 3.1 rebounds/game. Jordan Castor (Lincoln North Star), 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds/game, 134 assists. Michael Ngoyi (Lincoln Southeast), 17.4 points, 3.2 rebounds/game.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (WEDNESDAY). At Pinnacle Bank Arena | Papillion La-Vista South (23-3) vs. Papillion La-Vista (15-10), 1:30 PM; Millard North (18-6) vs. Bellevue West (18-7), 3:15 PM; Omaha Westside (22-4) vs. Lincoln Southwest (15-9) 6:00 PM; Lincoln North Star (20-5) vs. Lincoln Southeast (16-8), 7:45 PM.
CLASS B: New faces; just three teams return from 2024 tournament field
In a new look Class B this year – five teams were added by the NSAA during the offseason – the tournament field looks a bit different for 2025 as two schools that moved up from Class C-1, Wahoo and Douglas County West, have advanced to Lincoln.
Wahoo, which won the Class C-1 state title a season ago, is the third-seed and will end the first round on Thursday night when they face Elkhorn North (18-5) in the nightcap of the Class B opening round. Wahoo’s Dylan Simons (480) and the Wolves Sutton Piatkowski (447) are two of the leading season scorers in the tournament.
The winner of that contest will face either Scottsbluff (23-3) or Gretna East (17-7). Scottsbluff, with do-everything guard Nate Kelley, heads to Lincoln for the 46th time in school history and sixth time in seven tries, while the Griffins make their first trip in school history.
Top-seed Norris (24-2) and fourth-seed Omaha Skutt Catholic (21-5) are in the top-half of the bracket after Skutt defeated the Titans 70-63 in last years’ state championship game. Norris will have a sub-district final rematch with Lincoln Pius, who they beat 76-33 in that game. School career scoring leader Barret Boesiger leads Norris with 13.7 points per game.
The Skyhawks, with two 6-9 players at their disposal, will face Douglas County West. For coach Kyle Jurgens’ defending champions, Brock Scholl averages 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Christopher Garner (Norris), 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds/game. Parker Kelly (Lincoln Pius X), 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds/game. George Ziebell (Omaha Skutt Catholic), 9.5 points, 8 rebounds, 33 blocks. Nolan Asher (Douglas County West), 13 points, 7.3 rebounds/game, 70 assists. Rylee Meininger (Scottsbluff), 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 56 assists. Talan Hovie (Gretna East), 12.9 points, 3.9 rebounds/game, 82 assists. Cody Hesser (Wahoo) 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds/game, 62 assists, 50 steals. Kellen Murphy (Elkhorn North), 14.4 points, 3 rebounds/game.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (THURSDAY). At Pinnacle Bank Arena | Norris (24-5) vs Lincoln Pius X (14-10), 1:30 PM; Omaha Skutt Catholic (21-5) vs. Douglas County West (22-4), 3:15 PM; Scottsbluff (23-3) vs. Gretna East (17-7), 6:00 PM; Wahoo (22-4) vs. Elkhorn North (18-5), 7:45 PM.
CLASS C-1: Conference mates and familiar foes headline deep C-1 field
Centennial Conference mates Lincoln Lutheran (22-3) and Omaha Concordia (21-4) and Southwest Conference teams Ogallala (24-1) and Cozad (24-3) are the top-four seeds in the Class C-1 state tournament that opens Wednesday at the Devaney Center.
In a bracket that should be loaded with exciting first round games, top-seeded Lincoln Lutheran will face Fillmore Central to open the tournament.
The Panthers upset perennial tournament team Auburn in their district final last week and will make their first-ever state tournament appearance as a consolidated school. Geneva was last at state in 1981 and won state titles in 1913, 1956, 1957, 1965 and 1976. Fairmont, last at state in 1989, was a champion in 1921. For the Warriors, Jacob Duitsman is one of the top players in the field at 17.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.
Cozad has not won a game in Lincoln since the 1971 semifinals and will face Ashland-Greenwood, which has qualified for the fourth consecutive time and won the state title in 2022 and 2023, while also finishing third last year. Derek Tonjes is averaging nearly 17 points a game for the Jays.
Doniphan-Trumbull (18-6) will try to continue their late season surge when they get a rematch of a pre-Christmas blowout at the hands of Ogallala. The Indians defeated D-T 75-33 in the Heartland Hoops Holiday Classic, but the Cards are 9-1 over their last 10 games with just a narrow 42-38 loss to Lincoln Lutheran.
D-T went on the road to defeat Fillmore Central in the sub-district final and to Holdrege for their district final win. The game features two potential all-staters in the Indians’ Sawyer Smith (22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds per game, 95 assists, 78 steals) and D-T junior Jack Poppe (16.7 points, 5 rebounds/game, 127 assists, 83 steals).
Omaha Concordia will face Sidney in the other quarterfinal. The Raiders were the third team in the field that went on the road to win a district final as they traveled to Wayne for a 62-50 victory. Junior Alek Doty leads the Raiders at just over 16 points per contest while Andrew Kulus leads a balanced Mustang attack with 15.5 points per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Ryan Hager (Lincoln Lutheran), 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds/game. Daniel Stoner (Fillmore Central), 18.1 points, 7.9 rebounds/game, 117 assists, 33 steals, 31 blocks. Noah Shoemaker (Cozad), 14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds/game, 77 assists, 66 steals. Derek Tonjes (Ashland-Greenwood), 16.6 points, 7.7 rebounds/game, 58 assists. Eden Cain (Ogallala), 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds/game, 80 assists. Parker Volk (Doniphan-Trumbull), 16.3 points, 8.5 rebounds/game, 42 assists. Andrew Kulus (Omaha Concordia) 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds/game, 77 assists. Keian Kaiser (Sidney) 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds/game, 120 assists, 54 steals, 22 blocks.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (WEDNESDAY). At Devaney Center | Lincoln Lutheran (22-3) vs. Fillmore Central (21-5), 9:00 AM; Cozad (24-3) vs. Ashland-Greenwood (20-5), 10:45 AM; Ogallala (24-1) vs. Doniphan-Trumbull (18-6), 1:30 PM; Omaha Concordia (21-4) vs. Sidney (18-8), 3:15 PM.
CLASS C-2: Loaded C-2 field has perennial powers
For Freeman, and coach Jim McLaughlin, it’s good to be back in Lincoln.
After advancing to state from 2021-2023 and winning the 2023 Class C-2 state title, the Falcons were ousted in last year’s district final round by Bridgeport. They return to Lincoln as the top-seed with a 24-1 record, their lone loss to Johnson-Brock.
“I think our kids have put together a really nice team this year, they seem to compliment each other really well,” McLaughlin said. “We knew our schedule would be tough and our kids responded well to that, we tried to play a lot of different opponents who play different styles.”
The Falcons played six games against tournament qualifiers and also beat C-1 tournament regular Auburn twice during the season. In the opener of what McLaughlin calls “a really balanced field” the Falcons face Archbishop Bergan, who has one of the top players in the field in Gavin Baker (19.4 points per game). Easton Buss (13.7 points) and Hudson Vetrovsky (10.3) lead the Falcons.
“We know they are a young team,” McLaughlin said, “but we don’t think they are ahead of schedule. They are right where they belong in Lincoln. They are really, really skilled. Baker is just fantastic, he’s very athletic.”
In the top half of the bracket, the winner of that 9:00 AM game on Thursday will play the Summerland and Exeter-Milligan/Friend winner; a battle of Bobcats. Summerland’s balanced attack has all five starters between 7.2 and 12.3 points per game and EMF’s Grady Bresson is just over 17 points an outing.
Yutan (19-5) and Cross County (24-2) are the top seeds on the bottom half of the bracket. The Chieftains have West Holt, which went on the road to defeat Grand Island Central Catholic in their district final while the Cougars will get 21-6 Cedar Catholic in the final game on Thursday at 3:15 at the Devaney Center.
“We talked about how balanced the field is at practice the other day,” McLaughlin said. “I think if you played the tournament eight times, you might get eight different winners. The field is really deep. I think to win this you are going to have to be really consistent over three days.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Trevor Reed (Freeman), 10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds/game, 95 assists, 41 steals. Gavin Baker (Archbishop Bergan), 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds/game, 46 blocks, 33 assists. Preston Hoke (Summerland) 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds/game, 99 assists, 51 steals. Grady Bresson (EMF), 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds/game, 40 steals, 36 assists. Ryan Maguire (Yutan), 11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds/game, 58 assists. Zach Hooey (West Holt), 13.5 points, 8 rebounds/game, 57 assists. Wyatt Hengenfelt (Cross County) 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds/game, 48 assists, 31 steals. Nolan Becker (Cedar Catholic) 16.1 points, 7.1 rebounds/game, 68 assists, 40 steals.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (THURSDAY). At Devaney Center | Freeman (24-1) vs. Archbishop Bergan (16-9), 9:00 AM; Summerland (23-3) vs. Exeter-Milligan/Friend (23-4),10:45 AM; Yutan (19-5) vs. West Holt (21-5), 1:30 PM; Cross County (24-2) vs. Cedar Catholic (21-6), 3:15 PM.
CLASS D-1: Johnson-Brock chases third straight title
Though Johnson-Brock’s 55-game winning streak came to an end in mid-February at the hands of Freeman, a third consecutive state championship in Class D-1 is still firmly on the table. The Eagles last two losses, on February 9, 2023 and on February 13th this year have both come to the rival Falcons.
At 26-1, Johnson-Brock is the prohibitive favorite to win the class. Twin brothers Camden (16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds/game, 96 assists) and Casen (12 points, 2.9 rebounds/game, 78 assists) Dalenghaus have led the Eagles this year for their dad and coach, Lucas. J-B will face Elmwood-Murdock (14-11) in the opening round.
McCool Junction coach Jabe Wurtz – who won a D-1 title as a player with High Plains in 2015 – brings the Mustangs to Lincoln for the first time since 1987. McCool’s Mapieu Kouchinin is averaging 21 points and 12 rebounds, but will be a game-time decision, Wurtz said. He has been battling a foot injury for nearly a month. They will face Elm Creek (21-4) who is making their third straight trip to the tournament, but has not won a game in Lincoln since the first round in 2019. The Buffaloes, who have just eight players on their roster, get 21.4 points per game from Quin Oberg.
East Husker conference foes Howells-Dodge (22-5) and Bancroft-Rosalie (21-4) are the two- and three-seeds, respectively. Should they meet in the semifinals, it would be a season rubber match with B-R taking the regular season game and the Jaguars winning a sub-district contest.
The Jaguars will face Dundy County-Stratton, which has one of top duos in the tournament with Lane Bybee and Ethan Latta combining for 32.4 points per game. Bancroft-Rosalie will face tourney regular North Platte St. Patrick’s, which has qualified for the sixth straight year and won the title in 2022.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Brody Koehler (Johnson-Brock), 15.7 points, 6.6 rebounds/game, 112 assists. Aidan Schmidt (Elmwood-Murdock), 20.1 points, 9.4 rebounds/game, 79 blocks. Carson McDonald (McCool Junction), 16.3 points, 5.5 rebounds/game, 133 assists. Quin Oberg (Elm Creek), 21,4 points, 6.6 rebounds/game, 97 assists, 85 steals. Nathan Tomcak (Howells-Dodge), 11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds/game, 118 assists, 52 steals. Lane Bybee (Dundy County-Stratton) 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds/game. Drake Porter (Bancroft-Rosalie) 16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds/game, 54 assists, 53 steals. Benjamin Heirigs (North Platte St. Pat’s) 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds/game, 58 assists.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (WEDNESDAY). At Pinnacle Bank Arena | Johnson-Brock (26-1) vs. Elmwood-Murdock (14-11), 9:00 AM; McCool Junction (21-5) vs. Elm Creek (21-4), 10:45 AM. At Devaney Center | Howells-Dodge (22-5) vs. Dundy County Stratton (19-5), 6:00 PM; Bancroft-Rosalie (21-4) vs. North Platte St. Pat’s (19-6), 7:45 PM.
CLASS D-2: Balanced field could lead to wide open D-2 race
The best of Class D-2 basketball has congregated in northern Nebraska this year. And, while there will be a new champion – Shelton defeated Maywood-Hayes Center in the 2024 final – there is plenty of tradition in the bracket for the teams that head to Lincoln.
The top half of the bracket features top-seeded St. Mary’s, who lost in the 2022 championship game and advanced to Lincoln for the fifth time in six seasons. The young Cardinals – they don’t have a senior on the roster – will face Silver Lake to open Thursday’s play at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Junior Gage Hedstrom averages 18.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game to lead St. Mary’s.
The winner of that contest will face either Stuart – coached by legendary head coach John Miller – or first-year Archangels Catholic (formerly Humphrey St. Francis). Both teams have been tested. Stuart – the six-man football champion – brings an 18-6 record to Lincoln with five of the losses to four tournament qualifiers. The Defenders (19-6) have lost to only one Class D team this season (D-1 qualifier Howells-Dodge) and advanced to the tournament 28 times at St. Francis with seven state titles.
Wausa and Wynot – who have played three times this season – are the top-seeds on the bottom half of the bracket. Wausa took the first game in December, but Wynot has won two meetings since February 10th; first in the Lewis and Clark Conference final and in the sub-district final as well. A fourth meeting could be the nightcap at the Devaney Center on Friday if they are to get past Fullerton (17-8) and Elgin Public/Pope John (16-10) in the opening round.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Logan Brabec (St. Mary’s), 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds/game, 93 assists, 60 steals. Lane Conway (Silver Lake), 12.3 points, 5 rebounds/game, 55 steals. Brendan Johannes (Archangels Catholic), 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds/game, 48 steals, 40 assists, 31 blocks. Hunter Tubbs (Stuart), 14.2 points, 9 rebounds/game, 39 steals, 35 blocks, 32 steals. Matthew Schindler (Wausa), 12.1 points, 2.2 rebounds/game, 59 assists, 41 steals. Kane Wetovick (Fullerton), 18 points, 11.2 rebounds/game, 85 assists, 45 steals, 27 blocks. Andrew Haberman (Wynot), 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds/game, 41 assists, 40 steals.
FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS (THURSDAY). At Pinnacle Bank Arena | St. Mary’s (21-5) vs. Silver Lake (19-6), 9:00 AM; Archangels Catholic (19-6) vs. Stuart (18-6), 10:45 AM. At Devaney Center | Wausa (23-3) vs. Fullerton (17-8), 6:00 PM; Wynot (19-7) vs. Elgin Public/Pope John (16-10), 7:45 PM.