Nebraska high school girls basketball Top 25 rankings (1/3/2024)

Conference champions crowned; six on list remain unbeaten

The top five teams in this week’s edition maintained perfect records. Elkhorn North won the Eastern Midlands Conference title, Millard West and Omaha Central will play for the Metro title Wednesday, Skutt won the Doane Holiday Tournament, and Southwest took the crown in the HAC. 

1. Elkhorn North (8-0, Last Week #1) 

The Wolves extended their winning streak to 32 in a row and won the Eastern Midlands Tournament over Norris 47-37. It was Elkhorn North’s lowest-scoring game of the year by 20 points but, even while the score was close after each quarter, it never felt as if Norris was legitimately within striking distance. The tourney opened with a 23-point thumping of Bennington.

2. Millard West (9-0, Last Week #2)

The Wildcats play Wednesday for the Metro Tournament title after exploding for 31 third-quarter points in a 61-43 semifinal win over Millard North. Millard West trailed 31-30 at the break but then posted a 31-12 frame after halftime that was started with a 9-0 run. Neleigh Gessert scored 22 in the win. She had 27 in a 74-50 win over Benson and 11 in the 81-45 victory over Elkhorn South in the first round.

3. Skutt Catholic (9-0, Last Week #3)

The Skyhawks rose to the Doane Holiday Tournament championship in dominant wins of 64-30 and 63-31. Skutt took down Grand Island Northwest in the semifinals with a defense that allowed just eight made shots and forced 24 turnovers. The Skyhawks haven’t allowed 50 or more points in the last seven games and are winning games by an average of over 24 points.

4. Omaha Central (11-0, Last Week #4)

Central will play in its third Metro Holiday Tournament title game of the past four years on Wednesday thanks to a 69-61 win over Westside. The previous two were losses to Millard South. The Eagles moved back into the title game again behind 28 points from Inia Jones including 16 in a first half that built a 17-point lead. Central built Millard South 54-41 in the first round and Bellevue East 71-36 in the quarterfinals.

5. Lincoln Southwest (9-0, Last Week #5)

Southwest looked in control after a 14-2 start to the HAC title game against Northeast, but the lead was down to six at the start of the fourth quarter. It was a 29-16 halftime lead when the Rockets sliced into that advantage with a 16-9 third quarter. Southwest held on for a 56-61 win. The Silver Hawks also beat North Star 50-48 in overtime when the Navigators missed two free throws and Kennadi Williams sank a three just beyond half court. Williams hit a school-record seven three-pointers the day before in a 68-47 win over East.

6. Millard North (7-2, Last Week #6)

Millard North breezed through the early rounds of the Metro Tournament, beating Gretna East and Marian by an average of 35 points before dropping a 61-43 loss to Millard West one game short of the tournament championship game. The Mustangs led by a point at halftime but gave up the first nine points of the third quarter and allowed 31 points in the eight minutes right after halftime.

7. Lincoln Northeast (7-2, Last Week #9)

Senior Doneelah Washington scored a game-high 28 points and almost single-handedly brought her team back from a 14-2 start in the Dec. 30 HAC championship game. But Southwest and senior Kennadi Williams would not be denied. Northeast cut the 12-point early deficit and 13-point halftime deficit down to two to start the fourth. Southwest responded with a pair of runs and put it away 56-51. Northeast defeated Columbus 47-40 in the quarterfinals and Pius 57-44 in the semis.

8. Omaha Marian (6-2, Last Week #8)

A 16-7 first quarter put Marian in a hole it couldn’t escape against Millard North during the quarterfinals of the Metro Tournament. The Crusaders picked up the scoring in the second but then allowed 27 points in the third. Marian shot 29% and 11% from three. The defeat followed a 57-53 win over Papio South in which Marian overcame 20 turnovers.

9. Lincoln North Star (5-2, Last Week #12)

North Star opened the HAC Tournament with a win over Northeast by making all the plays late. That was not the case in the HAC tournament title loss to Southwest. The Gators led the Knights by a point with three minutes to go then scored the next 11 in a row. North Star had two chances to win it against Southwest. The Navigators had the ball with the game tied and 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation then led by two with two free throws at the end of overtime but missed both and Southwest hit a running three at the buzzer a few steps past half court.

10. Lincoln Southeast (5-2, Last Week #7)

Southeast trailed by a point in the final three minutes of the HAC quarterfinals against North Star then went scoreless the rest of the way in a 57-45 first-round defeat. It was the second loss for the Knights following a 36-29 setback against Gretna to start the year.

11. Omaha Westside (8-4, Last Week #17)

Kimora Jenkins had 13 of her 17 points in the second half and hit three three-pointers while teammate Kara Stricklin scored 16 in the first half of a 63-46 win over Papio. Westside trailed Bellevue West on its home court by 15 the next day but had a lead in the third quarter thanks to a 10-0 run. Westside stayed alive thanks to Stricklin free throws at the end of regulation and a putback from a missed three at the end of the first overtime. Two free throws with seven seconds left in double overtime sealed it. Central knocked out Westside in the Metro semifinals by building a 17-point lead.

12. Lincoln Pius X (4-3, Last Week #10)

Pius downed Kearney by 14 to start the HAC Tournament but scored just 10 combined points in the second and third quarters the next day in the semifinals against Northeast and lost 57-44. The Bolts were 4 of 19 from the perimeter in the loss. Senior Sara Iburg had 41 total points in the two games.

13. Papillion-La Vista (5-3, Last Week #13)

Papio gave up 24 first-quarter points to Westside in the first round of the Metro Tournament and shot just 29%. It gave the Monarchs back-to-back losses going into and heading out of the break. They bounced back Tuesday with a 69-22 win over Omaha Northwest and scored 32 points in the first quarter.

14. Bellevue West (5-4, Last Week #11)

Bell West scored a season-high 92 points, shot 64% and hit 27 threes in a Metro Tournament win over Omaha North. It was almost nearly the same story the next day against Westside when Bellevue West made 13 more. But while the T-Birds built a 15-point lead in the first half and couldn’t hold it. Westside made late plays in regulation and the first overtime to keep the game alive then made more shots in double OT.

15. Kearney (5-4, Last Week #15)

The offense managed six or fewer points in two quarters of the HAC quarterfinal game against Pius and the Bearcats suffered a 54-40 loss. Junior Kelsey Hatcher had 24 and got Kearney back on track Tuesday during a 56-44 road win at North Platte.

16. Bellevue East (5-3, Last Week #14)

Double-digit scoring by five players led Bell East to its highest total of the season in an 82-62 win during the Metro Holiday Tournament. Jamyla Gilmore had 20 points and 12 rebounds in that one. Shooting 2 for 20 from beyond the arc and 26% shooting overall led Bell East to its lowest total of the season the next day in a 71-36 loss to Central.

17. Omaha Benson (4-3, Last Week #16)

Benson faced Westview for the third time this season in the opener of the Metro Tournament and took the rubber match 68-47 by jumping out to a 15-point halftime advantage. Going 5 for 24 from three-point range the next day was Benson’s undoing in a 74-50 loss to Millard West.

18. Norris (7-2, Last Week #21)

Norris overcame 32% shooting by going 11 of 12 at the line and pulling down 18 offensive rebounds for a 54-37 win over Waverly in the Eastern Midlands Tournament. The Titans hung around with Elkhorn North the next night but never created a long enough run to take the lead.

19. Waverly (6-2, Last Week #22)

The Vikings never found their scoring touch and gave up 18 offensive boards in an EMC Tournament loss to Norris. They responded with three players in double-digits, 19 by Payton Tritz and 17 for Annie Harms, in a 65-57 bounce back win over Bennington.

20. Columbus (5-5, Last Week #19)

Columbus led eventual HAC Tournament runner-up Northeast at the end of the first quarter and at halftime, but one-point and three-point leads weren’t enough to absorb a six-point third quarter.

21. Papillion-La Vista South (5-4, Last Week #20)

Papio South fell into a 16-point hole then sparked some late drama with a 9-0 run and was within five with 1:42 to go before Marian free throws denied the comeback in the first round of the Metro Tournament. It was a near reversal the next day when a 15-6 first-quarter lead was gone by the start of the fourth. Papio South then put together its highest-scoring quarter of the game and defeated Gretna East 46-43.

22. Beatrice (8-1, Last Week #23)

Beatrice saw its perfect record ruined before the break then went to the O’Neill Holiday Tournament and won by 43 then 30. The Orange gave up just four first-half points to St. Paul and scored 37 in the first half against O’Neill.

23. Bennington (7-3, Last Week #18)

Bennington faced a tough draw in No. 1 Elkhorn North to start the EMC tournament, and like every other team this year couldn’t hang with the Wolves. Back on the court 24 hours later for the third-place game, the Bears trailed Waverly by 10 at halftime and suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Bennington ended the mini skid on Tuesday when the Bears scored 44 points in the first half, shut out Ralston in the third quarter and won 76-18.

24. Elkhorn (6-3, Last Week Unrated)

The Antlers were definitely kicking themselves after squandering a 10-point lead in the third quarter of the EMC tournament first round, especially when Elkhorn won the next two. The Antlers came out of the break with a 43-point win over Northwest then by 21 over Blair.

25. Lincoln Christian (9-0, Last Week Unrated)

LC is one of four remaining undefeated teams in Class C-1 and seven of the nine wins are against teams above .500. The Crusaders have beaten Class B teams Seward and Gering, gave GICC its only loss thus far and has quality wins over fellow C-1 squads Ashland-Greenwood, Scotus and Milford.