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Chris Basnett is joined by Nate Thomas in the latest episode of the podcast, which centers on Lincoln's rising hoops climate.
FIRTH — A pair of losses last week had the Class B No. 7 Norris girls basketball team at its lowest point of the season.
The Titans were close to slumping further after two late turnovers gave No. 9 Blair a chance at forcing overtime Tuesday in an Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament semifinal game.
But Norris buckled down defensively, forcing a tough shot that missed at the buzzer, to earn a 41-38 win.
It was a near catastrophe for the Titans, who led by eight points to start the fourth quarter.
But a win is a win, and it was a much-needed one.
“The feeling of a win is the feeling of a win, no matter if it’s by 10 or three,” Norris coach Wally Johnson said. “We just have to build on it, because we had been struggling the last few games. We’ve just got to try and find our offensive identity.”
Tuesday was just the third time Norris had scored more than 40 points since the calendar flipped to 2023. And despite a better performance on that end, inconsistencies remained.
The Titans scored just four points in the fourth quarter as Blair clawed back into the game, eventually having a chance to tie the score.
Fourth quarter aside, Johnson thought Tuesday’s win — and an encouraging second half in a loss to Bennington last Friday — could be the turning point.
“We shot the ball better tonight than we had over the past few weeks and we were more patient with the ball,” he said. “We are starving on offense. We used the Bennington game as a turning point because of the way we played in the second half.”
When the Norris offense needed a spark Tuesday, Grayson Piening came off the bench to provide it.
She scored all of her team-high nine points in the first half as Norris took a 22-17 halftime lead thanks to a 12-3 run.
“I feel like the second quarter showed who we are, like getting that old feeling back,” Piening said. “We worked hard in practice, watched some film, broke some stuff down and just got our basics back. That really showed tonight.”
With the postseason just a few weeks away, a win felt critical for Norris, which has a loaded schedule ahead. Five of its last seven games are against rated teams, including No. 2 Elkhorn North in the EMC championship Friday.
Johnson thinks Norris can get rolling again before the end of the regular season.
“We’ve got to build momentum,” he said. “It’s going to be our toughest stretch of the season. But we are going to use it to build our competitiveness so that when we get to the end of the season, we are used to that competition and are ready to perform.”
Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican (left) swears in the new senators for 2023, on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln.
Sen. John Fredrickson shows his son, Leon, the inside of the west wing on the first day of the 2023 Legislature on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln.
Kristina Konecko, an administrative aide for Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte, boxes up items at his old desk Tuesday at the Capitol. The new session begins Wednesday.
Gov. Jim Pillen shakes hands with Senator Tony Vargas after the inauguration ceremony for the governor on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln.
A camera flash illuminates the newly elected Gov. Jim Pillen (center left) as he is escorted through the rotunda to the West Chamber to be sworn in on Thursday at Capitol in Lincoln.
Milford's Izzy Yeackley (left) grabs a rebound in front of Malcolm's Emma Brown on Thursday in Malcolm.
Tell Hanes (left) of the Waverly Fire Department and Southeast Rural Fire's Trey Wayne jump over freezing water to high-five while practicing surface ice rescues Friday at Holmes Lake. "We try to run these trainings for both our students and local first responders to make sure they are ready in case anything real happens," said Andrew Saunders, of the International Rescue and Relief program at Union College.
Lincoln Southeast's Kaitlyn Freudenberg (from left) tries to hold onto the ball against Lincoln Southwest's Brinly Christensen and Aniya Seymore on Friday at Lincoln Southwest.
Nebraska's Kendall Moriarty does push-ups as her teammates cheer after the Huskers beat Penn State on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Brock Hardy (right) wrestles Minnesota's Jakob Bergeland in the 141-pound match, Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Devaney Center.
Ali Al-Mohammed, 17, kicks a soccer ball after school on Tuesday in front of Park Middle School. Renovations at Park that were part of the 2020 bond issue included a new cafeteria space.
Parkview Christian's Isabella Minatti (middle, right) is fouled against Johnson-Brock during a MUDECAS Tournament semifinal game Thursday at Beatrice Auditorium.
Nebraska's Emmanuel Bandoumel makes a dunk against Illinois' Matthew Mayer on Tuesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Derrick Walker is introduced before the Illnois game, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
A truck passes over an icy Platte River along U.S. 6 on Friday near Ashland. Friday's temperature failed to get above freezing, but the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is much better, with temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s before precipitation chances Sunday night and Monday.
A pair of ice skaters journey across a frozen Holmes Lake at sunset on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in Lincoln. As winter continues, weather this week will be consistently in the 40s with a dry weekend.
Ohio State's Rebeka Mikulášiková collides with Nebraska's Maddie Krull as they battle for the ball underneath the rim in the third quarter Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Kyrie Kelley-Johnson, son of Lincoln High head coach Dominique Kelley-Johnson, tries to keep the attention of the players while the Links stretch before their game Saturday at Lincoln High.
Governor Jim Pillen (center) announces the appointment of former governor Pete Ricketts to Nebraska's open senate seat, during an announcement on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, at Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. The vacancy, left open by the departure of Ben Sasse, has been expected to go to Ricketts after his depurate from the governorship last year.
Oscar and Yenifer Contreras, (left to right) both family workers, enjoy some of the food they made before lunch on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, at Restaurante & Bar Sabor Latino in Lincoln.
Parker Moll braves a mix of snow and rain to clear the driveway outside his family's home on Wednesday.
Ohio State's Zed Key (left) lays the ball into the basket off of the backboard against Nebraska's Derrick Walker on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Sam Griesel (right) embraces teammate Keisei Tominaga after defeating Ohio State on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Isabelle Bourne (left) is blocked at the rim by Maryland's Gia Cooke on Sunday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Lincoln Pius X's Jackson Kessler (middle, bottom) celebrates after hitting a three-point shot against Lincoln Southwest on Thursday at Pius X High School.
Nebraska's Allie Gard completes a back hand spring during her routine on the balance beam during their duel against Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at the Devaney Sports Center.
Lincoln Pius X's Nate Schauer (left) and Treyson Anderson celebrate after defeating Omaha Skutt on Tuesday at Pius X High School.
Nebraska's Denim Dawson bites a towel after the Huskers lost to Northwestern on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Leona Nissen (left) and Mackenzie Derowitsch chat during some one-on-one mentorship time at Lincoln Lutheran on Thursday. The 6-12 school has implemented a new mentor program called Warrior Walk that pairs a middle school student with a high school counterpart.
April and Stormi Mrsny hurtle down the hill on their sled while followed by their dog, Penni, on Monday at Pioneers Park. Chilly temperatures are in the forecast this week ahead of an Arctic air mass that could arrive by the weekend.
Gov. Jim Pillen delivers his State of the State address on Wednesday at the Capitol in Lincoln.
Lincoln High School senior Kristie Trinh was recently selected for the prestigious United States Senate Youth Program.
John Lee (left), an opponent of LB77, open carries his great-great grandfather's musket outside a Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday at the Capitol. "This is the only arms that they knew of when they were writing the Constitution," Lee said. LB77 would remove a requirement that gun owners obtain a permit to be able to carry a concealed weapon.
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Mia McMahon scored 14 points Tuesday night to lead Omaha Skutt to a win over Lincoln Pius X.
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