Josh Rowan
C-H sports writer
It’s March and that means it’s time for March Madness!
I love March Madness time, whether it’s college or high school basketball, it’s always an intense time for basketball fans.
The girls’ state basketball tournament kicked off this week and I have had a chance to do a little bit of research on most of the teams that made it.
So I guess it’s time for another edition of Rowan’s Playoff Picks.
Let’s start with Class A. Most classes are already down to the final two that will play today, but I can still give my championship team picks.
Class has is loaded with a lot of good teams this year, with Millard West, Kearney, Bellevue West and Elkhorn having a decent shot at a state title run, Kearney was out in the first round losing to Lincoln Southwest in an upset 52-47. Millard West has the best record of the Class A schools at 22-1 and has looked pretty good throughout much of the season. It’s going to be pretty tough to knock Millard West off the mountain this season and honestly I don’t see anybody doing that.

Class A Championship: Millard West 61, Bellevue West 53

Class B will be extremely interesting considering that’s what I’ve been covering for most of the season. I have had a chance to see, or read on most of the talent in Class B, because Lexington has sat right in the middle of Class B all year before getting nipped at the district final by Holdrege.
The first rounds really didn’t surprise me much because there is just so much fire power with the teams that are in, the games were pretty much blowouts in favor of the top teams. Skutt, Alliance, Seward and Gretna advanced after the first round, with all four teams winning by 10 points or more. Seward led Holdrege by only 11 after the first half at 17-6, but ended up whoopin’ up  on the Dusters 46-23.
I was pretty much breathing a sigh of relief after I saw the initial draws for the state tournament, because if Lexington would’ve defeated Holdrege last weekend (which they should have), Lexington would’ve had to play the No. 1 Blue Jays in the opening round. Who’s to say that the Maids could’ve hung with the defending champs better than Holdrege? I believe they could have because I watched Lexington for most of the season and they have a lot of athletic talent on the court and even though Seward and coach Tom Tvrdy are extremely tough, Lexington has hung with the best all season long, so I think that would’ve been a better game than Holdrege-Seward. But I guess it is what it is.
Alliance and Jordan Hooper are still in the tournament. No surprise there. There game with Gretna should be a great one, but I think the Lady Dawgs will pull the upset on that one and move to the title game.
Seward will breeze through Skutt, even though the Skyhawks are still a tough team. Seward has way too much talent to let this one get away. They will blow away Skutt to take on Alliance.
The championship final should be the best one out of all classes. But in the end, I think Tvrdy and the Jays will be ready.

Class B Championship:
Seward 65, Alliance 50

Class C1 has almost been identical to Class B in some aspects. Kearney Catholic, Bishop Neumann and Lutheran High Northeast are a combined 66-3 overall, which is just ludicrous. Wahoo comes in at 19-4, but don’t count them out. They took out a 19-3 Southern Valley team that looked pretty solid in handling Cozad at  sub-districts.
Kearney Catholic wasted no time handling Lincoln Christian in the opener. Petri has done a fantastic job the last few seasons with those girls. Sokolowski definitely is on her ‘A’ game right now and they will need her big time if they are going to take out Bishop Neumann.
Remember when I said that people should keep Wahoo in mind? Well, as I was typing this column up, Wahoo upset No.1 seed Lutheran High Northeast to reach the C-1 final. Kearney Catholic has just started their game, so we’ll see if Rick Petri can get his girls to a second state championship.
I think Petri has his girls playing solid basketball right now and I think that the final should be interesting.
Class C1 Championship:
Kearney Catholic 47, Wahoo 44

Looking at the bracket for Class C2, I’m not surprised with some of the teams that are in the tournament.
Perennial powerhouse West Point Central Catholic obviously is one of the favorites, even though they are not the top seed in the tournament. Elmwood-Murdock is the top seed at 23-0, but they barely squeaked by 14-8 Blue Hill 37-36 Thursday night. I don’t see E-M getting past Sandy Creek, who gave Kearney Catholic their only loss of the season.
Hartington Cedar Catholic will take on West Point CC for a spot in the final. Hartington Cedar Catholic has ties with Dawson County. Lexington won one of their two state girls basketball championships in a one-point victory over Hartington back in 1987.
I don’t know how I cannot see West Point in the final because come on, they are always in the final.
Class C2 Championship:
West Point CC 45, Sandy Creek 44

Class D1 will be a given for me this year, because after watching the games last year, then seeing the bracket draws, I’m pretty positive on who my pick for the state championship will be.
Silver Lake comes in as the huge favorite at 23-0. Silver Lake comes in as the state runner-up from last year and now are one win away from another berth in the state championship game.
Elkhorn Valley stands in their way after upsetting St. Mary’s in dominating fashion 44-20.
East Butler is in the championship game after taking out Howells and No.2 seed Humphrey in the semi-final.
So if Silver Lake wins their semi-final match,w hich should be going on as I’m typing this, it should be quite the final.
Class D1 Championship:
Silver Lake 57, East Butler 43

Class D2 definitely has the most unique situation right now.
Lawrence-Nelson (17-6) is the only other team besides Elkhorn Valley to have more than four losses  on their record and win a state tournament game.
The Lady Raiders upset juggernaut Falls City Sacred Heart 34-21 to meet up with Lindsay Holy Family, who routed Hay Springs 59-27.
Chambers took out S-E-M while Wynot, undefeated at 23-0 and a No. 4 seed, took out Hitchcock County 50-40.
The semi-finals will be good, but Chambers is a team is who always fundamentally sound every year and is usually always in the running for a state title. Lindsay Holy Family more than likely roll Lawrence-Nelson to get to Chambers in the final.
Class D2 Championship:
Chambers 68, Lindsay Holy Family 61
The boys’ state tournament will begin next week as I will get a chance to watch the Overton boys in action.
Those boys have a great draw and have a very good chance of making the state final. Coach Jay Staehr does a fantastic job of keeping their attention on the game in front of them and not getting ahed of themselves, so Overton should be well prepared for that opening contest with Randolph. Those two teams have a past, so it should be a fierce opening round game for Overton.
Now it’s time for my Extra Point.
Baseball season is right around the corner and one of my favorite days of the year is Opening Day.
I am a huge Red Sox fan and so I am always excited about what new players will be wearing the historic Sox logo, or if David Ortiz will finally have a humungous year, or if they can contest for another World Series championship. Opening day usually isn’t a sign of what’s to come since there is 162 games in a season, but hey, it’s a start.
Also, I have to give props to the Nebraska women’s basketball team. If they win Saturday against Kansas State, they will be the only team in Big 12 history to finish the season undefeated.
I think K-State is a tremendously tough place to play, but Nebraska has way too much momentum to let this one go. I think they will take out K-State and make history. Plus, they should get that coveted No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well. GO BIG RED!

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