The high school basketball season continued Friday night at the Purple Palace in Hoyt as Royal Valley played host to Nemaha Central, and it was the Thunder who came out on top with a sweep as the girls won 71-52 and the boys 68-53.

GIRLS

The first matchup of the night saw the top two teams in Class 3A face off and it was the No. 2-ranked Nemaha Central Thunder who dominated the matchup winning 71-52.

The Thunder (3-0) jumped out to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter, forcing four Panther turnovers while junior Kirsten Lortscher scored six in the frame.

Nemaha Central pushed their lead to 13 points at halftime, as senior Jacy Dalinghaus scored seven points in the second quarter which was her highest scoring output of the season.

Royal Valley (1-1) tried to make a run in the third quarter pulling within nine at one point, but the Thunder pushed their lead back to 12 points after three and went 7 of 9 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

The Thunder finished 15 of 21 from the charity stripe, while Jacy Dalinghaus finished with a season-high 18 points on two 3-pointers.

Royal Valley played well at times but struggled to hit shots, as they were led by Mary Broxterman who finished with 13 points.

Nemaha Central: Jacy Dalinghaus – 18, Alleigh Kramer – 14, Kirsten Lortscher – 13, Ashley Hammes – 11, Ashley Larkin – 9, Hannah Macke – 3, Emma Elder – 3.

Royal Valley: Mary Broxterman – 13, Wakiyan Irving – 12, Mahpiya Irving – 11, Kiikto Thomas – 8, Keanu Shopteese – 7, Emily Albright – 1.

BOYS

The boy’s game was much closer early on, but Nemaha Central eventually found their to jump out and never look back winning 69-53.

Both teams traded blows early, as Nemaha Central led by just two, 16-14, after the first quarter behind two 3-pointers from senior Austin Gerety.

The Thunder extended their lead to seven points at halftime, as senior Cole Kramer notched seven points in the frame.

Nemaha Central blew the game open in the third quarter to truly take control, as the Thunder led by 17 points after three scoring 20 points in the third.

The Thunder shot 40 free throws in the contest going 21 of 40 while also overcoming 14 turnovers, while the Panther just simply struggled to get shots to fall.

Cole Kramer led the Thunder with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the line, while Dalton Schmelzle finished with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe.

Nemaha Central (3-0) will now host Hiawatha Tuesday, while Royal Valley (0-2) travels to Holton.

Nemaha Central: Cole Kramer – 19, Dalton Schmelzle – 16, Austin Gerety – 13, Matt Baumgartner – 8, Tyler Gerety – 4, Andrew Leonard – 3, Jon Stallbaumer – 2.

Royal Valley: Knocks Wahwassuck – 15, Benjamin Neuner – 12, Pak Hale – 8, Komesh Spoonhunter – 6, Kobe Mills – 6, Brady Klotz – 4, Jaiden Wamego – 2.