Second-half defense pushes Omaha Skutt past Norris in Class B state tournament

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The No. 1-seeded Omaha Skutt girls basketball team topped Norris on Thursday in the first round of the Class B state tournament, beating the Titans 43-32 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

The Sky Hawks used a strong defensive effort in the second half to regain the lead and pull away. Skutt held Norris to zero points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Titans 14-0. 

Skutt outshot Norris 35% to 30%, but the Titans outrebounded the Sky Hawks, scored more points in the paint and tallied more second-chance points.

SEE ALSO: Scores from day two of Nebraska girls state basketball 

Junior Ize Tidball led the way for the Titans, scoring 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting. Landri Gates grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, while Ray Wegner dished out three assists. 

Omaha Skutt was led by senior guard Molly Ladwig with 27 points on 9-for-25 shooting. Ladwig also grabbed seven boards. 

Kamryn Kasner tallied 13 points while leading the team with eight rebounds. Only one other player scored for Skutt. 

The Sky Hawks will head to the semifinals and play the winner of Bennington vs. Sidney on Friday at 6 p.m. at PBA. 

SEE ALSO: Scores from day one of Nebraska girls state basketball