If you’re like us sports writers, Sunday and Monday were loooong days. And they were just the very start.

LINCOLN — It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. In Friday’s semifinal game, the high-octane Adams Central offense struggled to get shots to fall.

LINCOLN — Sutton faced a mountain of a task in the Class C-2 semifinals on Friday. The Mustangs were up late Thursday playing in an overtime game in the first round and had to turnaround and face the No. 2 seed and defending state champion Bancroft-Rosalie/Lyons-Decatur, which was on a 50 ga…

The night before state basketball might have people in Hastings just as giddy as Christmas Eve. Which is fair; for Hastings High fans it’s been 16 years since they’ve got to see their team compete in Lincoln in the boys tournament.

The Hastings College baseball team went into the weekend winning two of 11 games in the young spring season. So when the Broncos won both of Saturday’s contests against a tough Mayville State squad, they were anxious for the chance to win their first series of the year by winning one of two …

LINCOLN — Makenna Asher was nervous. So was Greg Berndt. And probably most of St. Cecilia’s cheering section.

LINCOLN — Adams Central’s state tournament appearance last season — the first in 10 years — is proving beneficial.

SEWARD — Entering Tuesday night’s Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament championship, Hastings College and Concordia had split their two regular season meetings, and played about as even as opponents can.

LINCOLN — Morgan Baker had goals she wanted to accomplish through her high school swimming career.

In their final home game, the Hastings College women’s basketball team put championship-style defense on display.

LINCOLN — Grant Johnson exited the pool at Hendricks Training Complex in Lincoln Saturday upset. He threw his goggles and swim cap down and rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration.

The Hastings faithful may have been on the edge of its seat during an unsettling first half, but the Tiger boys basketball team was never rattled.

LINCOLN — The first day of the state swimming and diving competition opened with the diving portion of the meet Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center. For Hastings’ three divers, the competition didn’t go quite as well as they had hoped.

Chelsey Morten was a four-year player, and three-year starter with the Hastings College women’s basketball program, including on a team that advanced all the way to the NAIA final four.

The Doniphan-Trumbull boys basketball team went into the postseason riding a nine game winning streak and earned the No. 2 seed in a tough Class C-2, Subdistirct 9 tournament. The Cardinals drew a Sandy Creek squad that they beat by 20 points early in the season, but the Cougars went into Mo…

OMAHA — The final whistle of the Class C 152-pound finals blew, and Sutton’s Joseph Hinrichs fell to his knees and let his head drop to the mat. The emotions swept over him as his eyes were suddenly filled and ready to run with tears.

OMAHA — It's been 32 years in the making, but Hastings finally hoisted the state wrestling tournament championship trophy Saturday at the CHI Health Center.

Adams Central likes three-point shots. And who could blame the Patriots, the way they dropped in deep balls Friday.

It was senior night at Chapman gym Friday, as St. Cecilia hosted Centura.

OMAHA — Hastings made the trek to Omaha expecting to leave with the team state tournament championship. While the victor was most definitely not decided after Thursday’s action, the Tigers have put themselves in tremendous position to accomplish that goal.

Each of the last two seasons, the Hastings wrestling team had hopes of contending for a state tournament championship in Omaha. Just two days before the tourney begins, those hopes have turned into expectations.

GRAND ISLAND — Hastings High completed an exhausting stretch Saturday at the 13th annual Heartland Hoops Classic at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.

Last year, Hastings’ McKinsey Long, a freshman then, pump faked, drove to the rim and lifted a struggling team to a season-defining win over crosstown rival Adams Central.

The Battle of Hastings was everything we expected to see, and then some more.

DONIPHAN — The Doniphan-Trumbull Cardinals (9-10) got off to a slow start and could never catch up to the Titans of Thayer Central (13-7) Tuesday night.

Last year, Hastings’ McKinsey Long, a freshman then, pump faked, drove to the rim and lifted a struggling team to a season-defining win over crosstown rival Adams Central.

The Adams Central, Hastings boys basketball rivalry has provided some entertaining games recently, with five of the last eight being decided by single digits.

KEARNEY — It has been 32 years since Hastings has been able to boast about winning any sort of a wrestling team state championship, but the wait is finally over. 

Adams Central played like it was intimidated Tuesday night in the first of its two crosstown rivalries.

ROSELAND — Blue Hill and Kenesaw virtually had the same bullet points on the whiteboard Monday night.

This Hastings College women’s basketball team is special.

At the beginning of the year, Adams Central head wrestling coach Dan Lonowski knew his team was going to be a tough dual squad. He said qualifying for the state dual tournament was one of the goals his team had for the season.

On Friday, the Northwest girls basketball team wrapped up its Hastings circuit, with Hastings High being the third team from Hastings the Vikings have played in as many games. NW edged out St. Cecilia by five and escaped with an overtime victory against Adams Central.