Nebraska high school girls basketball Top 25 (12/13/2023)

Class B Elkhorn North knocks off Class A No. 2 Bellevue West

Coming off an injury last season, Nebraska commit Britt Prince has been nothing short of spectacular. During Tuesday’s win over second-ranked Bellevue West, Prince scored 35, leading her team to a dominant 67-52 win. If Prince stays healthy – and she does look fully recovered – it could be a very special season for the Wolves. 

1. Elkhorn North (1-0 district, 4-0)

Britt Prince scored 35 in a win over second-ranked Class A Bellevue West Tuesday evening en route to a 67-52 win. Her season-high of 42 came against Plattsmouth. The Wolves, defending state champions, jump to our No. 1 spot with the victory.

2. Skutt Catholic (2-0 overall)

Skutt Catholic, another Class B power, takes our No. 2 spot. Last year, they finished runner-up to Elkhorn North. Skutt has jumped out to a 2-0 start with victories over South Sioux City and St. Thomas Aquinas. They face Sergeant Bluff-Luton Saturday.

3. Millard West (3-0 district, 4-0)

Millard West is our No. 1 team in Nebraska Class A, the state’s largest class. Led by twins Neleigh and Nora Gessert, the Wildcats have raced out to a perfect start. Next up is Elkhorn South on Thursday.

4. Bellevue West (1-1 district, 3-2)

Bellevue West has lost back-to-back games to Lincoln Pius X and Elkhorn North, but they still check all the boxes for being one of Class A’s best. The loss to Pius is one they’d like back, but we believe Elkhorn North can beat any team – regardless of class – in the state.

5. Millard North (1-1 district, 3-1)

The Mustangs’ lone loss of the season came at the hands of Bellevue West. Leading Millard North in scoring is Izzie Galligan, averaging seven per outing. With no big scorers, scrappy defense has limited opportunities for North’s opposition. Up next is Benson on Saturday.

6. Omaha Central (3-0 district, 6-0)

Central has been hot this season, and has played more games than any other Class A team. Leading Central is senior Inia Jones. The second-team all-stater is averaging 19 points and six rebounds per game. The Eagles face 0-3 Bryan Friday.

7. Lincoln Pius X (1-0 district, 2-1)

Pius lost its opener to Millard North, but bounced back with big wins over Kearney and Bellevue West. This team narrowly missed playoffs last season, and they look like they may be in a position to make the tournament this spring. Up next is Westview on Saturday.

8. Lincoln Southwest (3-0 district, 4-0)

Southwest is looking good to start the season. With husker softball/basketball recruit Kennadi Williams healthy and averaging over 15 points per game, the Silverhawks will be in a good position to get to the state tournament. Southwest’s best win, so far, is over Lincoln Northeast. Southwest plays Omaha North Thursday.

9. Lincoln Northeast (3-1 district, 3-1)

Northeast's lone loss of the season was a 57-49 loss to Lincoln Southwest earlier this month. Senior 6-footer Doneelah Washington has been superb, averaging 27 points per-game. Up next is Columbus on Friday.

10. Marian (2-1 district, 3-1)

Marian is coming off a loss to Lincoln Southeast, and has a battle coming up Thursday with 4-1 Gretna East. East’s schedule has been fairly manageable, though, and they lost to 2-1 Benson. We expect Marian to win this game.

11. Papillion-La Vista (1-1 district, 3-1)

The Monarchs lone loss of the year so far came against Omaha Marian. The Monarchs have wins over Fremont, Elkhorn South and Grand Island. Leading PLV in scoring is Rease Murtaugh, averaging just under 20 per outing. Up Next is 4-1 Bellevue East on Friday.

12. Bellevue East (1-1 district, 4-1)

East hung more than 80 on Omaha Northwest earlier this week, and has the shooters to put up lots of points consistently. Leading the Chieftains in scoring is T’Niyah Wilson-Smith, averaging about 24 points per game. Junior Jayla Wilson is scoring 15 per game.

13. Beatrice (1-0 district, 4-0)

Beatrice has scored more than 60 each outing has won each game by double-digits. Behind Elkhorn North and Skutt Catholic – both being somewhat in a league of their own at this point – we think Beatrice is one of the best teams in Class B.

14. Blair (4-1 overall)

Blair is off to a good start, with a freshman leading the charge. Guern Kay is averaging about 12 points per game. Juniors Addie Sullivan and Joslyn Policky are averaging 10 and 8, respectively. The Bears face Gross Catholic Saturday.

15. Lincoln Southeast (1-0 district, 2-1)

The Knights have won two straight – including a win over top-10 Marian – since dropping its low-scoring season opener to Gretna. The Knights should be able to get to 3-1 overall when they face Grand Island, a team that hasn’t won yet, this weekend.

16. Benson (1-0 district, 2-1)

The Bunnies have wins over Gretna East and Westview, and face a stiff challenge this weekend when they face Millard North. Senior Ahmani Klabunde is scoring 17 per outing, and Jesani Green is scoring 13 per game.

17. Westview (2-1 district, 3-2)

In its second year of Class A play, Westview is off to a good start. Coming off a win over Omaha North, Westview has a tough one Saturday against Lincoln Pius X. This game will give us a better look at what this team is all about.

18. Elkhorn South (1-1 district, 2-2)

The Storm has losses against Millard North and Papillion-La Vista – both solid teams. Freshman Mollie Probasco is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13 per game. Senior Addy Penke is averaging about 10. South faces Class A No. 1 Millard West Thursday.

19. Columbus (2-2 district, 3-2)

The Discoverers are coming off a win over Kearney. Good defense is winning games for Columbus, but the points haven’t fallen in droves thus far. Up next this week is Lincoln Northeast, a team that we think will have too much fire power for Columbus to shut down defensively.

20. Omaha South (1-1 district, 3-1)

The Packers are looking better than a year ago, when they finished 8-16 on the season. Sophomore Eve Hodoly is scoring 13 a game, and teammate Sierra Thomas is adding more than 12. Level of competition, though, has been pretty easy thus far. South faces Lincoln High this Saturday.

21. Kearney (0-1 district, 2-3)

Kearney has been up and down all season. At times, buckets have dropped easily; others, nothing will fall, like earlier this week when they scored just 23 in a loss to Columbus. Consistency will be needed to right the shop for Kearney, who faces Omaha Northwest Saturday.

22. York (2-2 overall)

York is coming off a bad loss to Elkhorn, and lost another in overtime to Platteview, but when York has been on, they've looked impressive. Kiersten Portwine, Kinslee Kern and Khloe Koch are all scoring about eight per game. Up next is Aurora on Friday.

23. Norris (3-1 overall)

Norris has won three straight since losing its season opener to Waverly. Seniors Ella Johnson and Grace Kohler are scoring about 12 per game, and Nicole Keetle, 7. Up next for Norris is 4-1 Seward on Friday.

24. Bennington (0-1 district, 4-1)

Bennington’s lone loss of the year came against Elkhorn North, and there’s no shame in that. Other than that, they haven’t been truly pushed by an opponent. Leading the Badgers in scoring is Presley Baca, averaging 13 per outing. Up next is Concordia on Thursday.

25. Seward (4-1 overall)

Seward has won two straight since falling to Lincoln Christian earlier this month. Norris will be a good test for this team when they face them Friday. Each win this season for Seward has come by double digits. The going, though, will be a lot tougher against Norris.

Next 5: North Platte, Papillion-La Vista South, Fremont, Waverly, South Sioux City

-- Sam PImper