Final Day of Basketball Will Yield More (mostly) Great Memories

It takes a village, I know that, but let's face it Papio South having the basketball in the hands of the great Bryson Bahl (20) would be a great place to be in today's Class A final. That game will be SO much fun...

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.

Topics

Barret's Shot and Today's Semifinals at Boys State Basketball

How about that, me and Barret Boesiger joined by fate. OK, not so much the wrong gym, I had a mission, but while our boy Barret was burying that three-quarters court game-winning field goal I was ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Columbus Academy boys basketball advances to first OHSAA state final since 1981

The Columbus Academy boys basketball team is one win away from its first OHSAA state championship.
Yahoo Sports - 16h
Class 6A boys basketball: Tulsa Union advances to first state final since 2014

The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 6A boys state tournament continued Friday at Yukon High School. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.
Yahoo Sports - 18h
Ohio high school basketball tournament scores | OHSAA state semifinals

The 2025 OHSAA boys basketball tournament continues this week. Here's a look at the Ohio high school state semifinal scores from across the state.
Yahoo Sports - 8h
Gallatin boys, Skyview girls keep repeat hopes alive at State AA

Mar. 14—BOZEMAN — One day down and both defending champions are still alive for a repeat in the AA State Basketball Tournament. Defending boys winners Gallatin held Missoula Hellgate to just 12 ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Shot clocks for high school basketball remain a no for nearly half the states

Jim Norick Arena has hosted state tournament basketball games in Oklahoma since 1966. Because Oklahoma does not use shot clocks, teams still will be able to hold the ball as long as they wish to ...
Yahoo Sports - 23h
Lancaster Bruins win first state championship in boys’ basketball

The Lancaster Bruins boys’ basketball team has made history by winning their first state championship, marking a significant achievement for Lancaster High School.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Class 3A boys basketball: Millwood cruises past Sequoyah Claremore into OSSAA finals

The Oklahoma high school basketball Class 3A boys state tournament continued Friday at State Fair Arena. Here's a look at what happened in the semifinals.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Summit Country Day falls to undefeated team in Division V boys basketball state semifinals

Summit Country Day vs. Gahanna Columbus Academy in OHSAA Division V boys basketball state semifinals
Yahoo Sports - 15h

Final Day of Basketball Will Yield More (mostly) Great Memories

Topics

Related

Barret's Shot and Today's Semifinals at Boys State Basketball

Columbus Academy boys basketball advances to first OHSAA state final since 1981

Class 6A boys basketball: Tulsa Union advances to first state final since 2014

Ohio high school basketball tournament scores | OHSAA state semifinals

Gallatin boys, Skyview girls keep repeat hopes alive at State AA

Shot clocks for high school basketball remain a no for nearly half the states

Lancaster Bruins win first state championship in boys’ basketball

Class 3A boys basketball: Millwood cruises past Sequoyah Claremore into OSSAA finals

Summit Country Day falls to undefeated team in Division V boys basketball state semifinals

More from Yahoo Sports

MLB season preview 2025: Best-case and worst-case scenario, make-or-break player and season prediction for every NL team

Patriots missed on Cooper Kupp and other top WR targets. Now what?

Class 3A boys basketball: Millwood defeats Cascia Hall to win state championship

Can Tampa Bay Catch Lightning In A Bottle And Return To Their Championship Ways?

Bears OL Joe Thuney explains why he wanted to play for Ben Johnson

More in Sports

Champions League qualification is the only positive Man City have left -- and they might miss it

Patriots missed on Cooper Kupp and other top WR targets. Now what?

MLB season preview 2025: Best-case and worst-case scenario, make-or-break player and season prediction for every NL team

Class 3A boys basketball: Millwood defeats Cascia Hall to win state championship

Can Tampa Bay Catch Lightning In A Bottle And Return To Their Championship Ways?