Vote: Who should be SBLive’s Nebraska high school athlete of the week (3/11/2024)?
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Nebraska high school athlete of the week for March 4-10. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Tatum Backemeyer, Elmwood-Murdock Girls Basketball
Backemeyer didn’t leave Lincoln with a state championship but was perhaps the best player of the weekend during the Class C-2 girls state tournament. The Elmwood-Murdock senior scored 20 in the first round, was held to nine in the semifinals but then came back for 23 more in the third-place game. Her 52-point total in three games was right at her season average of 17.5 and led the Class C-2 tournament in scoring.
Danielle Coyer, Bellevue West Girls Basketball
Coyer scores an average of nine points per game then found a new level at the state tournament. The senior had 14 in the semifinal win over Southwest then followed it up with a season-high 18 in the Class A title game against Millard West. Her 18 points came on an efficient 6 of 9 shooting, 3 for 4 from long range and 3 for 3 at the free throw line.
Maya Dolliver, Pender Girls Basketball
Dolliver knows how to turn it on when the stakes are highest. The Pender junior scored 47 total points at last year’s state tournament including 24 in the semifinals. She helped lead the Pendragons to their first championship in a decade. Back in Lincoln again, Dolliver was one better with 48 with a game-high 16 in the Class D-1 finals win. Dolliver was 5 of 8 shooting and 5 of 6 from the line in the victory.
Neleigh Gessert, Millard West Girls Basketball
Gessert was already in the midst of a big season for the Wildcats then she came up even bigger at state. The Millard West junior scored 52 points in three games, 29 in the state title win on 10 of 18 shooting with seven rebounds. She hit on 5 of 10 from long range and delivered the Wildcats their first title after three previous runners-up.
Mya Hedstrom, O’Neill St. Mary’s Girls Basketball
Hedstrom took her scoring showcase to the state tournament and didn’t disappoint. The St. Mary’s senior scored 68 points in three games and averaged better than 22 on totals of 25, 20 and 23. Hedstrom scored more than 20 points 11 times this season and had four of those in the last five games of the season. She also had 18 total rebounds, eight assists and seven steals.
Mattea Kassebaum, Lincoln Christian Girls Basketball
How much can a player leave her mark on a game if she goes 0 for 2 from the field? Well, in Kassebaum’s case quite a lot. The junior guard only put up two shots but she also put up 18 at the free throw line and made 15. That plus four rebounds added up to a Class C-1 state title win for Kassebaum and her Crusader teammates. Kassebaum played 30 of 32 minutes and was one of only two players in double figures.
Molly Ladwig, Skutt Catholic Girls Basketball
Ladwig was a crucial part of her team’s run to third straight run to the Class B title game. In the championship against Elkhorn North, Ladwig got the Skyhawks off to a solid start with 13 first-half points and led Skutt with 18 total. She had 13 in the semifinal win over Gretna East and 27 against South Sioux City in the first round. Ladwig scored 13 of those in the first quarter and hit four three-pointers, all in the first half.
Britt Prince, Elkhorn North Girls Basketball
As performances go, Prince has had many better over the past few years. But on the biggest stage, she always finds a way to affect the game. The Elkhorn North senior sewed up the program’s fourth title in a row by overcoming an 8 for 23 shooting night by putting together a double-double on 17 points and 12 rebounds. Her shot jumper with 1:13 left in the Class B title game put the Wolves ahead for good.
Mylee Tichota, Yutan Girls Basketball
The sophomore averaged fewer than 10 points per game but saved her best for the most important time of the year. Tichota scored 48 total points at the state tournament including a game-high 19 in the Class C-2 state championship win. She was 5 of 7 shooting, made eight free throws and pulled down seven rebounds. Tichota ended the year with five games in a row of double-digit scoring.
Natalie Wood, Overton Girls Basketball
Just like her namesake from the silver screen, Wood was the leading lady for her team in the Class D-2 state title win. Wood’s 14-point total wasn’t a game-high, but her efficiency at 6 for 9 plus 23 rebounds were the main reason why the Eagles enjoyed their first girls hoops title. In a four-point win, her 11 offensive rebounds helped produce a 21-14 difference in second-chance points that made the difference in winning and losing.
Maverick Binder, Auburn Boys Basketball
It’s simply one of the best state tournament careers at any level of Nebraska high school boys basketball. Binder played in his fourth straight title game on Saturday in the Class C-1 final and was good again. He scored 19 and hit four threes. Over the weekend he had 53 total points in three games, led by 20 in the tournament-opening win against Douglas County West. Binder ends his varsity career with a 9-3 record in Lincoln.
Marcus Glock, Wahoo Boys Basketball
There’s only one way it could have ended for the Warriors’ senior leader. Glock has had a big season that includes nearly 24 points per game and a 54-point game in early February. That big season ended with one more big performance – 23 points, 8 of 17 shooting, three three-pointers and five rebounds in the Class C-1 win over Auburn. Glock had 14 in the quarterfinals and 24 in the semis.
Evan Greenfield, Norris Boys Basketball
Greenfield scored 15 points twice in last week’s state tournament to go with eight in the first round. He tied for the team lead in the Class B state championship game, shooting 7 of 11. He came one rebound short of a double-double with nine and also had the team lead in assists with four. Greenfield averaged just about 11 points per game during the season then was at his best in Lincoln.
Tayje Hadwiger, Amherst Boys Basketball
Who’s to say just how many points Hadwiger could have scored if he hadn’t been in foul trouble? The Amherst senior scored a game-high 32 points in Saturday’s Class C-2 state title game and did it in just 25 minutes of playing time. He had 30 in the semifinals and 16 in the quarterfinals but was also dealing with foul issues in the first round. That’s a total of 78 points in three games, the most of any player at state this season.
Ryan Hager, Lincoln Lutheran Boys Basketball
Hager gave his team a chance in Saturday’s Class C-2 state championship. The Lincoln Lutheran junior had a team-high 22 points, shot 50%, grabbed five rebounds and scored eight of those 22 in overtime. Hager had 16 in the quarterfinal win over Cedar Catholic and scored 47 total points while leading the Warriors to its second championship game in three years.
Jeremiah Ingison, Maywood-Hayes Center Boys Basketball
Ingison started off the state tournament with a bang and never slowed down. The MHC tied his season-high with 31 points on 10 of 17 shooting in the first-round win over Elm Creek, added 21 more in the semifinals and 17 in the Class D-2 championship game. Ingison was the Wolves’ leading scorer and had a double-double on 11 rebounds. Ingison closes his career with exactly 1,500 points and 861 rebounds.
Jaden Jackson, Bellevue West Boys Basketball
Bell West was just a little bit off to start Saturday’s Class A title game. Mostly, that was the case all weekend, at least on the offensive end. Jackson provided the spark in the third quarter and scored 12 of his game-high 21 and 12 of the Thunderbirds’ 23 as they exploded for a 15-2 run. Jackson’s state tournament also included 14 in the first round and a total of 42 points in three games. In Saturday’s title game, he shot 50% and hit three three-pointers.
Brody Koehler, Johnson-Brock Boys Basketball
The stage wasn’t too big for Koehler despite his relative youth. The sophomore was part of last year’s state title game but only in a minimal role. Saturday in the Class D-1 championship, he was the leading scorer with 19 points, 7 of 16 shooting, two makes from three and seven rebounds. His 19 points tied for his second-highest total of the season.
Brock Scholl, Skutt Catholic Boys Basketball
Scholl was the major factor in Skutt raising a state title trophy for the second year in a row. His performance in the Class B championship game against Norris was clearly a problem for the Titans. His length bothered Norris to the tune of 22 points, 10 of 12 shooting and a double-double that included 12 rebounds. Scholl had just eight in the first round the 28 in the semis to go with 22 in the title game.
Ashton Simmons, Shelton Boys Basketball
Simmons has been dynamite all season, scoring just about 22 points per game with 70 made three-pointers. His explosiveness was on display again during the Class D-2 state championship. Simmons tied for the game-high with 17 points, hit five threes and was one rebound away from a double-double. Simmons also had 34 points, four threes and 10 free throws in the semifinals plus 12 points in the quarterfinals.
--Nathan Charles
