The Nemaha Central girls clinched a share of their seventh consecutive Big 7 League title in the final year of the league’s existence. The Thunder girls defeated Jefferson West 46-25, and the boys also got a sizable win over the Tigers by a final score of 65-48.

Nemaha Central came out firing as they knocked down three threes in the first quarter. Reagan Gerety scored five points to jumpstart the Thunder offense and give them an 11-7 lead after the quarter’s end.

The second quarter saw just eleven combined points with the Thunder outscoring the Tigers 6-5. Gerety made a two-point field goal in the quarter giving her a game-high seven points at halftime with Nemaha Central holding on to a 17-12 lead.

After both teams had trouble scoring in the first four minutes of the third period, Nemaha Central got their offense going and outscored Jeff West 18-3. Emma Hermesch was a big reason for the run as she buried a couple of threes.

In the fourth quarter, the Thunder continued to control the game's pace and never let the Tigers back in it.

Cali Honeyman led the Thunder in scoring with 12 points, including seven in the third quarter, and the junior made five out of seven free throw attempts. She is your Player of the Game brought to you by the Farmers State Bank.

Hermesch finished the game with 10 points, and Cami Dalinghaus and Gerety each had nine points. Ella Dickey led Jefferson West in scoring with eight points.

With the win, Nemaha Central clinches at least a share of their seventh consecutive Big 7 League title. They can win it outright if they can beat Riverside at home on Tuesday night.

In the boys game, offense came quickly for both teams early in the first quarter. Three Thunder players scored multiple field goals with Trent Thomas leading the team with six points. Nemaha Central had a 19-12 lead going into the second quarter.

The Thunder continued with a 9-0 run to start the quarter. Abe Hilbert along with Thomas scored multiple field goals in the second quarter. Thomas led all scorers at halftime with ten points and Hilbert had eight. Nemaha Central went to the locker room with a 36-21 lead.

Jefferson West tried to claw their way back in it with Gage Galle making four field goals and eight points in the third quarter, but Nemaha Central still had a 52-37 when the quarter ended.

The Thunder took care of business and got their reserves in the ballgame in the final two minutes. Hilbert led all scorers with 16 points. The senior forward made two field goals in all four quarters, and he is your Player of the Game brought to you by Farmers State Bank. He was the first of four Thunder players to score in double digits with Thomas and Colby Frehe each scoring 14 points, and Evan Olberding scoring 13 points.