Article by Desi Fuelberth
Norfolk High School has always been known for how elite the boys’ basketball team is. It really is no surprise to everybody when the guys make it to the State Tournament. The Panthers have punched their way to the State Tournament for the fourth year in a row.
The boys had to win districts to be able to get into State. They first played the Grand Island Islanders on Saturday February 25th. The game was not too tough for Norfolk. They won over the Islanders 53-34. The guys then had to play the district championship game on Tuesday, February 28, against the Lincoln East Spartans. Our boys were in full force and beat the Spartans 63-51. They became the district champions. Norfolk now has 11 straight victories over Lincoln East dating all the way back to February 12, 2010. It is very cool for the seniors on the basketball team because they can now say that they have made it to state basketball all four years that they have been in high school.
On Thursday, March 9, 2017, the Norfolk Panthers played the Creighton Prep Junior Jays. Basically the whole town of Norfolk went to watch. The game was a nail biter. It ended up going into overtime and the Panthers pulled away with a 63-59 win. The Panther guys then had to play the Omaha South Packers in the semifinals Friday night. The score was never too close, which made the Panther fans a little more comfortable. Norfolk won that game 53-38 and would now be returning Saturday evening for the championship game. That is the first time Norfolk would be in the championship since 2010.
The wait was over for the boys who had been dreaming of this moment since they were in grade school. Everybody was headed to the Pinnacle Bank Arena. The guys were so anxious to get it done and bring home some hardware. The Panther guys were playing the Papillion-La Vista Monarchs. The first half was very close and kept going back and forth. Whatever Coach Tony Siske said in the locker room during half time must have worked though because the Panthers were in full force during the second half. The Panthers went 0-13 for three pointers and still managed to get a 68-49 win over the top ranked team. The boys and the fans were ecstatic. This was the first state championship the Norfolk basketball team has won since 1987. When the bus arrived to town they got a police escort back to the High School. There were fireworks going off in town as well. Once the boys got to the high school, they were greeted by tons of fans in the gym for a pep rally around midnight. The cheerleaders were cheering, the Pink Panthers were dancing, and the band was playing. The atmosphere was unbelievable.
All in all, the weekend of state basketball is always one where memories are made. However, State Basketball 2017 will be a weekend the people of Norfolk will remember forever!
For more great articles written by NHS Students, See the March 2017 Panther Newspaper!
