GBB: Grand Island Northwest survives Ogallala in Girls' Varsity Basketball

(Photo Credit: Wallpapercave.com)

By: Evan Troxel

The Grand Island Northwest Vikings High School Girls' Varsity basketball team defeated the Ogallala Indians 49 to 44 thanks in part to a big first half lead on Saturday afternoon, January 25th, 2025, at the Steve Morgan Court in the Prairie View Gymnasium in Ogallala, Nebraska.

Ogallala picked up their first loss at home of the regular season.

It was a tale of two halves as Northwest dominated the first half while Ogallala dominated the second half!

Grand Island's Laiken Dorsey scored 16 points. She made two three-pointers and two free throws.

Ogallala's Hayden Shaw led all scorers on either team with 17 points. Shaw made three threes and zero free throws.

Jolie O'Hara made at least two three-pointers for Northwest to start the game as Grand Island never trailed in the entire game!

The Vikings led 18 to 3 after one quarter in which Ogallala simply couldn't make shots and turned the ball over and just did everything a little too quickly!

Ogallala settled down a little more in the second quarter, but still trailed by even more points after the second quarter than after the first quarter as it was 30 to 14 at halftime!

Ogallala's top scorer freshman Shaydyn Rasby only scored two or three points in the entire first half and probably Ogallala's second-best scorer junior Laney Caskey had zero points in the entire first half!

Ogallala junior Hayden Shaw I believe made a three-point basket right away to start the third quarter.

The Indians then trailed 35 to 24 with 4:50 left in the 3rd quarter and there was seemingly some hope for Ogallala to make a comeback at that point.

Ogallala kept up the intensity for the remainder of the third quarter and they only trailed by less than 10 points after the third quarter 42 to 34.

The Indians kept cutting the deficit as they trailed 42 to 37 with 6:14 left in the 4th quarter and it was 42 to 39 with 5:30 left in the 4th quarter.

Grand Island got a three-pointer and they led 45 to 39 with 3:40 left in the game as that ended up being the game winning shot.

Ogallala rallied and it was Grand Island 45, Ogallala 44, with 2:33 left in the game. Neither team made a shot and the score was still the same with 59.8 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

Ogallala's Addison Slama took a shot to take the lead late in the fourth quarter with the score at 45 to 44, but the ball went right over the cylinder and to the left of the basket.

Northwest led 47 to 44 with 8.5 seconds left.

Ogallala had a chance to tie on their own end after a timeout, but Ogallala's Addison Powell couldn't get the throw-in in-time after five seconds.

So Northwest got the ball, Reagan McIntyre was fouled and she made both free throws to make the final score Grand Island Northwest 49, Ogallala 44.

Jolie O'Hara committed four fouls and Laiken Dorsey committed three fouls for Northwest.

Ogallala's Laney Caskey and Addison Slama committed four fouls each in the game on Saturday. Hayden Shaw recorded three fouls for the Indians.

Reagan McIntyre and Jolie O'Hara each scored 12 points for the Vikings.

McIntyre made four free throws and two three-pointers. O'Hara made four threes.

Daveigha Heikes scored four points and made two two-pointers.

Halle Rice made a three-pointer and Emerson McIntyre made a two-point shot.

For Ogallala, Shaydyn Rasby scored nine points and made three free throws and made three two-pointers.

Addison Slama made three two-point shots and two free throws and totaled eight points in the game.

Aniston O'Neil scored three points and made a free throw and a two-pointer.

Addison Powell made a three-pointer.

Laney Caskey and Story Rasby each made a two-point basket for the Indians.

Grand Island Northwest improved to 11-4 on the season while Ogallala fell to 11-5 on the season.

Northwest is currently ranked 9th in Class B on Sunday, January 26th, 2025, according to nsaahome.org, while Ogallala in Class C-1 is currently ranked 16th on Sunday, January 26th, 2025, according to nsaahome.org.

Grand Island Northwest's next game is on Tuesday, January 28th, at home versus Aurora for a conference tournament game. They could have more conference tournament games later on in the week as well on January 30th and February 1st.

Northwest has a game at home versus Hastings on Tuesday, February 4th and a game at Schuyler on Friday, February 7th.

In the first round of the Southwest Conference Tournament, #4 Ogallala will be hosting #5 Holdrege on Tuesday, January 28th, and the winner of that game will play the winner of #1 Minden vs. #8 Cozad on Friday, January 31st, at Kearney in the semifinals.

The Southwest Conference championship game is on Saturday, February 1st, at Kearney.

Ogallala has played Cozad, Holdrege and Minden earlier this season and only beat Cozad.

Ogallala plays McCook on Friday, February 7th, and at Broken Bow on Saturday, February 8th.

Ogallala won the Girls' High School Junior Varsity basketball game 26 to 23 over Grand Island Northwest on Saturday in Ogallala in two quarters.

Ogallala's Paige Armijo made the game winning three-pointer from the right side off the backboard with probably about less than 15 seconds left in the game.

Northwest's Libby Loman scored eight points by making four two-point shots.

Emerson McIntyre scored seven points by making two two-pointers and three free throws.

Ogallala's Sadie Flansburg scored 13 points by scoring five free throws and making four two-point shots.

Brooklyn Robb made three two-point shots and scored six points total.