For the Class B No. 5 Norris and Class C-1 No. 1 Lincoln Christian girls basketball teams, Saturday’s meeting was a chance to finish off the regular season strong and take momentum into district play next week.
Sensing that opportunity, both teams began the game with an offensive flurry, but that soon gave way to a defensive battle from which Norris emerged victorious. The Titans sealed a 49-40 victory by not allowing Lincoln Christian to convert a field goal in the fourth quarter.
The offensive start to the game included fast-paced moves in transition and plenty of three-pointers. Both Norris (12-8) and Lincoln Christian (18-3) sank a pair of three-pointers in the opening period, with Norris taking an 18-17 lead.
A much slower second quarter followed as Norris’ aggressive defense helped force the Crusaders into five turnovers as the Titans took a 29-25 lead into halftime.
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Norris opened up an eight-point lead in the third quarter, the largest of either side all game, but an 8-1 run from Lincoln Christian brought the score to 37-36. The Titans used their length to force tough shots from Lincoln Christian’s Olivia Hollenbeck, who led the Crusaders with 11 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
After Lincoln Christian threatened its dwindling lead, Norris made a key switch from zone defense to man-to-man, and it paid dividends. The Titans held Lincoln Christian without scoring for over 7 minutes during the fourth quarter, with the Crusaders’ only points coming on a pair of free throws.
“Man-to-man was the way to go,” Norris coach Mark Hagerman said. “It was definitely a good defensive effort from our girls.”
While Norris slowed the game down on offense, Lincoln Christian’s need to get buckets, and get them quick, led to a number of missed opportunities late. The Crusaders committed six turnovers in the fourth quarter as Norris’ defensive switch caused them problems.
“It all came down to some empty possessions because of an extra rebound, turnovers late in the game, or a missed free throw,” Lincoln Christian coach Nick Orduna said. “You play a good team like Norris, it always comes down to something like that.”
The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for Lincoln Christian.
Norris had three players finish in double figures, as Brianna Stai led the way with 11 points and Taryn Tracy and Kalli Kroeker each scored 10. Next up for Norris is a game against Beatrice in subdistrict B-5 action on Tuesday.
“We keep talking about going one game at a time, and this was one we wanted to finish off to get us into the district tournament,” Hagerman said. “Obviously going in with a win adds a lot of excitement, so I’m very proud of the girls.”
Lincoln Christian boys 49, Norris 48
The Crusaders used a second-half surge to upend Norris. After digging an 11-point hole in the first quarter, Lincoln Christian slowly trimmed the deficit and ultimately outscored the Titans 30-19 after halftime. Justin Bubak led the Crusaders with a game-high 18 points.