Terry Douglass, Central Nebraska Today
GRAND ISLAND — West Holt earned its first trip to the boys state basketball tournament since 2018, posting a 41-38 road victory at Grand Island Central Catholic Wednesday night in the Class C-2, District 4 championship.
Zach Hooey scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead the way for the No. 5-rated (Omaha World-Herald) Huskies, who improved to 21-5 on the season. Hooey, a 6-foot-5 senior, was dominant down the stretch, scoring all 17 of West Holt’s points in the final 10:54 of the contest.
Thomas Birch had 14 points for the No. 2-rated Crusaders (21-5). Thomas Liban added 11 points for GICC, which was bidding for its first state-tournament appearance since 2022 when it finished as the state runner-up.
In a game that featured 13 lead changes — 11 of them in the first three quarters — the score was tied 30-30 heading into the fourth. After Braylon Wolfe’s 3-pointer with 7:27 to play staked GICC to a 33-30 lead, Hooey answered with a personal 7-0 run, giving West Holt a 37-33 advantage on a 3-pointer with 3:36 left.
GICC cut its deficit to 37-36 on Birch’s trey with 2:09 remaining and the Crusaders pulled ahead 38-37 on two free throws by Liban with 1:11 to go. However, Hooey scored inside to put West Holt in front for good at 39-38 with 50 seconds to play.
After GICC missed a shot with 11 seconds on the clock, Hooey was fouled and was 2 of 2 at the foul line with 7.7 seconds left to give West Holt a three-point cushion. The Crusaders’ 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed the mark, touching off a celebration for the Huskies.
West Holt 41, GICC 38
West Holt (21-5)………………………10 7 13 11—41
GICC (21-5)……………………………..9 9 12 8—38
WEST HOLT—Drake Nemetz 3, Andrew Rentschler 6, Lincoln Konrad 8, Zach Hooey 24.
GICC—Braylon Wolfe 8, Thomas Liban 11, Thomas Birch 14, Connor Haney 3, Isaac Urbanski 2.
