Lincoln North Star falls short in Class A semifinal against Millard West

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The No. 4-seeded Lincoln North Star girls basketball team fell short in the Class A state semifinals Friday, losing 34-28 to No. 1 Millard West at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

The Navigators took a 3-point lead into the break, but their offense ran out of gas in the second half, only totaling 9 points in the final two periods.

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Both teams struggled from the floor, as the Navigators shot 22% and the Wildcats shot 23%.

The difference in the game came from beyond the arc. Millard West hit eight 3-pointers while shooting 30% from deep, but the Gators only hit three 3-pointers and shot 20%.

Creighton commit Neleigh Gessert hit the bulk of those shots from deep, scoring all 15 of her points from beyond the arc.

Gessert also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Jade Lewis, Norah Gessert and Kylee Paben each had seven boards for the Wildcats.

The Gators were led by senior guard Sarah Gatwech, with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

Joyce Johnson grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Aleviah Anderson led the team in assists, with two.

Millard West will advance to the Class A state championship for the second straight season and the third time since 2016.

The Wildcats will play No. 7 Omaha Westside at 1 p.m. Saturday at PBA.