Ogallala defeats Adams Central in High School Boys' Varsity Basketball, advances to the State Tournament

(Photo Credit: Wallpapercave.com)

By: Evan Troxel

The Ogallala Indians High School Varsity Boys' Basketball team defeated the Adams Central Patriots in a Class C1 District Final 84 to 52 on Saturday, March 1st, 2025, at the Steve Morgan Court in the Prairie View Gymnasium in Ogallala, Nebraska.

The Adams Central Patriots season came to an end in Ogallala on Saturday, but for the Ogallala Indians their season will continue at the State Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska, from March 12th through March 15th.

Hunter Nepple was the top scorer for Adams Central as he put up 23 points. He made six free throws and one three-pointer and he made seven two-point baskets.

Rylan Gilmore led the way for Ogallala with 24 points. Gilmore made five threes and and three free throws. He made three two-point shots.

Ogallala led 7 to 2 with 5:57 left to go in the first quarter, but they quickly scored a ton of points after that and never really had to look back.

Ogallala led 25 to 8 after the first quarter.

Adams Central trailed 27 to 8 with 6:15 left in the 2nd quarter and then they trailed by 24, 39 to 15 with 1:31 to go in the second quarter.

Ogallala led at halftime 39 to 24.

Adams Central scored 9 points in the last 1:31 of the 2nd quarter.

Hunter Nepple scored 11 points in the first half for Adams Central while Edan Cain led the scoring for Ogallala with 13 points.

At some point near the end of the 2nd quarter or right at the beginning of halftime after both teams went to their locker rooms, a technical foul was called on Ogallala.

At least one of the Ogallala coaches, perhaps more than one, was seen verballing yelling at the referees at the start of halftime before going to the locker room.

This journalist doesn't know for a fact who the technical foul was called on, but it most likely was on one of the Ogallala coaches.

After halftime and right before the third quarter started, the score was changed to Ogallala 39, Adams Central 22, for whatever reason.

Perhaps the referees ultimately agreed with one (or more) of the Ogallala coaches and took away two points from Adams Central as a result, but they still had to reward Adams Central with free throws because of the technical foul of yelling at the officials.

Adams Central took some technical foul free throws right before the third quarter officially started.

Adams Central missed both technical foul free throws.

Ogallala led 49 to 24 with 5:42 to go in the third quarter.

Adams Central then cut the deficit to 23 and the scored was 57 to 34 with 2:31 left in the third quarter.

Ogallala led 63 to 41 after three quarters.

Ogallala's Sawyer Smith I believe fouled out early in the fourth quarter, as it was at least the second straight game an Ogallala Boys' basketball player fouled out in regulation.

No other player in the game on Saturday for either team finished with more than two fouls.

Adams Central trailed 84 to 52 with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter and Ogallala won the game by a final score of 84 to 52.

Both teams had their younger players play the last couple of minutes of the game.

For Adams Central, Kowen Rader scored 16 points. He made two threes and the rest of his points were two-pointers.

Trey Slechta scored six points on three two-pointers.

Riley Propp made a three and totaled five points.

Austin Vontz and JJ (or Jackson) Foster each made a two point basket.

I feel like Adams Central actually deserved to have 54 points on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Ogallala's Edan Cain finished with 22 points. Cain's last three points were free throws and he also made three three-pointers.

Sawyer Smith scored 15 points. He made two threes and one free throw.

Lincoln Gillen made two three-pointers and totaled 10 points.

Tanner DeCastro scored five two-pointers for a total of 10 points. DeCastro also I believe had a chance to make a dunk on a short alley-oop, but he couldn't put the basketball in the basket.

Cy Lowery made a two-pointer and scored two points total.

Drew Patin made a free throw and totaled one point.

Adams Central finished the season with 16 wins and 10 losses.

Ogallala now has 24 wins and 1 loss on the season, with their only loss being to Cozad in the Southwest Conference Tournament championship game.

However, Cozad lost at Ogallala earlier this season before the Southwest Conference Tournament championship game.

Ogallala is guaranteed at least one more game this season and that is at the State Tournament.

If Ogallala wins their first round game, they are guaranteed a semifinal game and then they will either play in the Class C1 state championship game if they win the semifinal game, or they will play for third place in Class C1 if they don't win the semifinal game.

The following teams in Class C1 have already punched their ticket to the State Tournament: #1 Lincoln Lutheran, #2 Ogallala, #3 Omaha Concordia, #4 Cozad, #5 Ashland-Greenwood, #7 Sidney and #9 Doniphan-Trumbull.

#11 Fillmore Central Panthers play at the #6 Auburn Bulldogs tomorrow on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. Both teams were originally scheduled to play today on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025, but it apparently got postponed probably due to the weather.

The rankings that were just mentioned are from nsaahome.org currently on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025, in the afternoon, and are not the District Final rankings.

Fillmore Central has 20 wins and 5 losses this season while Auburn has 20 wins and 4 losses this season.

Fillmore Central currently has 43.6800 wild card points while Auburn currently has 44.4583 wild card points.

Previously #9 ranked Sidney defeated #8 ranked Wayne on Monday, March 3rd, while #10 Doniphan-Trumbull defeated #7 Holdrege on Saturday, March 1st.

Those are the only two upsets currently in Class C1 of the seven District Final games that have already been played.

It appears Ogallala will either play Sidney for a third time this season or Doniphan-Trumbull a second time this season.

It appears Ogallala will most likely play Doniphan-Trumbull if Fillmore Central wins on Wednesday, March 5th, 2025.

Ogallala also might have to face Fillmore Central if the Fillmore Central Panthers somehow leapfrog Doniphan-Trumbull.

Ogallala already played Doniphan-Trumbull on a neutral court earlier this season.

If Auburn wins, Ogallala will probably play Sidney.

Auburn has been in the Class C1 state championship game the previous six seasons. They won it all in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and have lost it each of the last three seasons.

Wahoo won the state championship in Class C1 last year and gave Auburn their only loss last season by winning 49 to 42 in overtime.

Ashland-Greenwood, who won the state title in Class C1 in 2022 and 2023, could be the only team other than Ogallala (2020) to have actually made it to the state championship game in Class C1's entire state championship history among the teams who will be in this year's Class C1 State Tournament if Auburn loses their District Final game to Fillmore Central on Wednesday.

Ogallala's head coach Andy Gillen will be making his sixth trip to the State Tournament in seven years with the Ogallala High School Boys' basketball program.

Ogallala failed to make it to the State Tournament in the 2020-2021 season.

Ogallala made it to the state championship game in the actual year of 2020 (2019-2020 season).

Ogallala won a first round game at the State Tournament in the actual years of 2019 (2018-19 season), 2020 (2019-2020 season) and 2023 (2022-2023 season).

Under Andy Gillen's leadership, Ogallala is 3-2 in the first round of the state tournament, 1-2 in the semifinal round and 0-1 in the state championship.

Ogallala is also 2-0 in third place games under Andy Gillen and also all-time if I am not mistaken.

So Ogallala has a won-lost record of 6-5 with Andy Gillen as the head coach at the State Tournament and they are 4-5 with Andy Gillen as head coach at the State Tournament in games that could eventually get you a State Championship.

Ogallala has never won a state championship game in school history.

Ogallala and Lincoln Lutheran are technically tied for 1st in wild card points in Class C1 with 46.5200 points right now, but whatever the tiebreaker is to determine the #1 overall seed in Class C1, it appears Ogallala will be the #2 seed in Class C1 at the State Tournament this year.

It appears Ogallala will be playing at 1:30 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, March 12th, 2025, at the Devaney Center.

If Ogallala wins on March 12th, they are probably playing at 10:45 a.m. Central Time at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Friday, March 14th.

If Ogallala wins on March 14th, they will play in the State Championship Game at Pinnacle Bank Arena at 11:00 a.m. Central Time on March 15th.

If Ogallala loses on March 14th, they will play at Lincoln Southwest High School at 1:00 p.m. Central Time on March 15th, in a third place game.