GIRLS STATE BASKETBALL: Late Free Throws Lift Beatrice Past Norris in Class B Quarterfinal
LINCOLN–(KFOR Feb. 29)—Two free throws with 13.5 seconds left gave the Beatrice girls basketball team a 50-49 victory over Norris on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the NSAA Class B girls state basketball tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Beatrice (20-5) will play three-time defending Class B state champion Elkhorn North in Friday’s 3:15pm semifinal game. Norris finishes the season at 19-6.
Alijah Stabler hit two free throws to give the Lady Orange the one-point lead. The Titans went to Marlee Emerson for a chance to get the win, but a floating shot from around the free-throw line missed right before the final buzzer sounded.
Norris trailed by ten at halftime, 30-20, and was down by as much as 15 in the second half before a major comeback in the fourth quarter, when Adeline Tidball hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 47. The Titans scored another basket from freshman Landri Gates with just over a minute left in the game to take a two-point lead.
Alli Bornschlegl scored 10 points for the Titans, while Gates finished with eight points.
The win for the Lady Orange avenged two previous losses to Norris this season, including a 17-point loss in subdistricts.
Click the link below to listen to the podcast of the game.