LINCOLN – The first round of the 2018 NSAA Girls State Basketball Tournament got underway from Lincoln North Star High School Thursday late afternoon. #8 Hartington Cedar Catholic battled with #1 Hastings St. Cecilia.
Right from the start, the Hawkettes used hot shooting from the perimeter to lead 10-0 nearly halfway into the quarter. Then, HCC fired back on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 11 all entering the second quarter. More three-point shooting helped Hastings St. Cecilia take a 24-18 lead into the locker room. The Trojans then went on a 10-2 run to start the third quarter, but saw that lead disappear after St. Cecilia won the quarter 18-12. Again in the fourth, Hartington Cedar Catholic got within five points with about a minute to play, but were called for a moving screen before the Hawkettes closed the game from the foul line.
Final found Hastings St. Cecilia winning 49-41 to improve to 22-2 as Hartington Cedar Catholic ended their season at 16-9.
Junior Jada Cattau scored majority of her points on stealing the ball and laying it in for a team-high 12 to lead HCC. Senior Anna Reifenrath followed with eight points, junior Maddie Wieseler tacked on seven first quarter points while fellow junior Brianna Miller added six points in the first half.
Senior Cameron Kissinger took control hitting six, three-pointers while adding two fouls shots to lead St. Cecilia with 20 points. Sophomore Makenna Asher added 10 points.
#1 Hastings St. Cecilia will next face #5 Ravenna who defeated #4 North Platte St. Patrick’s, 72-58 at 2 p.m. from the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday.
#2 Stanton held on for the 47-45 victory over #7 Burwell and will face #3 Superior who defeated #6 Archbishop-Bergan, 40-35 at 3:45 p.m. from the Devaney Sports Center.
Other northeast Nebraska scores:
Class B from the Bob Devaney Sports Center: #5 South Sioux City defeated #4 Platteview, 65-56 and will now face #8 Beatrice at 3:45 p.m. from the Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Class C1 from the Bob Devaney Sports Center: #8 Pierce was within 11 points against #1 Mitchell at half, before falling 53-36.
Class D1 from Lincoln Southwest HS: #3 Guardian Angels Central Catholic lost 49-43 to #6 Ansley-Litchfield.
