Before we have all this we had all that.
It’s been a wild and woolly week at the 2025 Nebraska state boys basketball tournament, one filled with crazy comebacks, stunning upsets, untimely injuries and Barret’s Shot. Made for a full week, and we ain’t even got to the finals.
But we will here shortly. And once we get underway at 9 a.m. - Johnson-Brock going for its third consecutive Class D-1 state title - our final day of basketball for the 2024-25 season is sure to leave us with more great memories.
Having dodged the scary weather forecast let’s take a look at yesterday’s highlights:
Class A
No. 1 Papillion-LaVista 61, No. 4 Millard North 57. For the first time since pre-COVID we will not have either Millard North nor Bellevue West in the state final. But it wasn’t easy. In a game that featured a breath-taking pace (and some break taking play) Papio South moves into its first-ever state final.
No. 2 Omaha Westside 56, No. 6 Lincoln Southeast 52. The Knights gave it a go but Westside ground out a tough, physical win. The seeds play out in Class A, we get the top two in the state final.
Class B
No. 1 Norris 51, No. 4 Skutt Catholic 49. In my mind this was the most amazing win of the day, as the Titans were able to put Barret’s Shot behind them, then find a way to slay the demon that has been Skutt Basketball, the two-time defending state champion which got that way by denying Norris in last year’s final.
No. 2 Scottsbluff 58, No. 6 Elkhorn North 55. Scottsbluff has won games against teams from four different states this season and is now planning to win on in a state capitol. Don’t bet against those guys.
Class C-1
No. 5 Ashland-Greenwood 54, No. 1 Lincoln Lutheran 47. Shaking off a three-game losing streak “that we took personally” the Bluejays are in another final, getting there by reversing a 19-point regular season loss.
Class C-2
No. 8 Archbishop Bergan 64, No. 4 Summerland 48. This Bergan team is young but doesn’t play like it. Two impressive victories gets them into a state final for the first time in years, but also makes you think they’ll be a couple or more in the coming years.
No. 3 Cross County 45, No. 7 West Holt 43. Playing all your ‘80s favorites, Jimmy Blex and the Cougars tightened up the defensive pressure late and held on to win their way into the program’s first-ever state final.
Class D-1
No. 1 Johnson-Brock 53, No. 4 McCool Junction 36. And McCool played sooo good in the first half, yet only had the game tied. J-B came out smokin’ hot in the second half, scoring seven quick points, and never looked back.
No. 2 Howells-Dodge 58, No. 3 Bancroft-Rosalie 41. It was the game I was looking forward to as much as any but the Jaguars took all the fun out of it, taking early control, fending off a couple of modest B-R runs, then pulling away in style. You think of Howells-Dodge you think of physical play, but this is a very skilled team, Skilled enough to win today? Play like that, and the answer is a definite maybe.
Class D-2
No. 1. St. Mary’s 59, No. 4 Archangels Catholic 46. Another scary test for a another young, talented team, as the Cardinals stared down a very good Archangels team. Your first though might be will the lights get too bright for those kids in the final, then you realize, given their opening two wins, that’s a silly question in the first place.
No. 3 Wynot 55, No. 2 Wausa 52. Wausa will be back but Wynot never left, once again proving its standing as a state tournament heavyweight. And you thought after all those graduation losses last spring Wynot would take a step back...or was that me?
* That leaves us with the final six games of the season - including three pairings of the top two seeds - let’s see how they stack up in their order of play:
Class D-1
Johnson-Brock (28-1) v. Howells-Dodge (24-5), 9 a.m. What you want is for J-B to play like they did yesterday, at maximum capacity. J-B is seeking its historic third straight state title and the Eagles are so skilled, so fun to watch play. Howells-Dodge was the D-1 state runner-up four years ago but I still have flashbacks to Howells’ 2012 final against Giltner, one of the biggest gut-punch losses in state tournament history. Dodge was state runner-up in 1997.
Class C-1
Ashland-Greenwood (22-5) v. Omaha Concordia (23-4), 11 a.m. Its the first-ever state final for Concordia, which has developed into a powerhouse under the leadership of head coach Ken Kulus, but winning its first title will be a tall test against red-hot Ashland-Greenwood, our 2022 and 2023 C-1 state champion. I know this, somebody better guard Derek Tonjes.
Class A
Papillion-LaVista South (25-3) v. Omaha Westside (24-4), 1 p.m. In many ways this will be the most enjoyable game of the day. I wish you all knew Papio South head coach Joel Hueser and Westside head coach Jim Simons a little bit, they are two of the great guys in the game, any game. Pulling for them both. These two teams met twice in the regular season, Papio South winning both times, first by one point and then by 18. (Third Time Around Syndrome alert!)
Papio South is in its first-ever state final and Westside has reached one final (2014) since 2004, winning its only state title 45 years ago. Good times at PBA this afternoon, even it is a bit shocking for a certain old man to realize 1980 was 45 years ago.
Class C-2
Archbishop Bergan (18-9) v. Cross County (26-2), 4:15 p.m. For me, this will be the most fun game of the day...I mean, who knew! No offense intended but the pure joy brought by these two unexpected finalists will make for a great contest. Not sure how Bergan gets stop after all that’s gone on, but we’ll see...and give me a little Come on Eileen while we’re at it...
Class B
Norris (26-2) v. Scottsbluff (25-3), 6:15 p.m. Sorta funny isn’t it, that many had neither of these top two seeds making the final but here they are, having clawed their way through a pair of epic semifinals. If Norris wins I’d keep my head on a swivel for Jimmy Motz in the postgame, if Scottsbluff wins the Bearcats become your interstate champions in more ways than one.
Class D-2
St. Mary’s (21-5) v. Wynot (21-7). Both these programs have state championship pedigrees, St. Mary’s winning in 2012 (Adam Moon, you were there) and Wynot in 2013. Wynot, winner of 11 in a row, is like most superior teams, greater than the sum of its parts while those high flying St. Mary’s guards can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. This basically comes down to a battle of wills.
