It was a battle of four state ranked teams and defense was the difference.  However, for the third straight season, both Sabetha basketball teams have secured Big 7 League titles.  After sweeping rival Nemaha Central on Tuesday night in Sabetha, the Bluejays also both locked up number one seeds in their 3A Sub-State. 

GIRLS = Sabetha 34, Nemaha Central 21

Nemaha had the early 6-2 advantage before Kalli Broxterman hit her second three-pointer of the game to tie the score at eight at the start of the second quarter.  The Bluejays turned that  trey into a 9-2 run and never trailed again in route to a 15-0 Big 7 League record. 

Sabetha was up 16-12 at halftime and 23-17 entering the fourth before making 9 of 10 free throws in the closing minutes to extend the lead.  Alexis McAfee was the only player to score in double figures with 11 points on 7 of 9 free throw shooting and also had 7 rebounds and a couple key steals in the second half.  She was the "Player to Bank On" sponsored by the Citizens State Bank and Trust Company in Hiawatha.  Sabetha is now 18-1 overall after overcoming just 24 percent shooting.  

Nemaha shot only 19 percent and went 0-10 behind the arc while also connecting on just 3 of 8 free throws.  Rachel Baumgartner led the Thunder with 8 points before falling to 16-3 overall and 13-2 in the Big 7.   

BOYS = Sabetha 53, Nemaha Central 45

It was a similiar low scoring and defensive affair while both boys teams struggled to score the ball.  Sabetha jumped up 6-1 and led 14-11 after one quarter, then took a 23-17 advantage into halftime.  Nate Beck made a driving basket to pull Nemaha within 32-28 entering the fourth quarter and then the Thunder got big trifecta's from Trenton Henry to tie the score at 34 and another from Dylan Enneking to give Nemaha a 39-37 edge with 3:49 remaining. 

Yet, the Bluejays responded out of the timeout with a three-point play by Calder Keehn and a trey from Alex Kirwan while Brock Frey added 10 of his game high 19 points in the fourth quarter including going 6-6 at the charity stripe down the stretch.  Sabetha made 10 of 13 free throws in the final period to secure their third straight Big 7 League Title (14-1) while improving to 18-1 overall.  Frey was the "Player to Bank On" sponsored by the Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha.  Keehn added 10 points and Kirwan chipped in 8. 

Nemaha got 14 points from Luke Holthaus while Mitchell Henry scored 10 in a physical game that saw one Thunder player suffer a broken nose and another player get a hyper-extended finger.  It was the first loss in 11 games for Nemaha Central who dropped to 15-4 overall and 12-3 in the Big 7 League.