LINCOLN — The state boys basketball tournament concludes Saturday with six championship games and four third-place games.
Here’s a capsule look at all six finals, which begin at 9 a.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Class A
No. 1 Bellevue West (27-0) vs. No. 2 Millard North (23-3), 6:15 p.m.: For the fourth straight season, the Class A champion will either be Bellevue West or Millard North.
Bellevue West is vying to be first undefeated Class A state champion since Omaha Central did so in 2012 as part of a streak of four consecutive titles.
The Thunderbirds have been runners-up the past two seasons, losing back-to-back championships to Millard North after beating the Mustangs for the title in 2020.
Bell West romped Omaha Westside in the semifinals 74-41 after the Warriors took the T-Birds to overtime in a 80-78 loss in the regular season finale. Millard North edged Gretna 54.
Millard North’s first-year coach is Mike Etzelmiller, a Hastings High grad.
Class B
No. 1 Omaha Skutt (24-3) vs. No. 2 Platteview (24-4), 1 p.m.: Connor Millikan, the state’s second all-time leading scorer, dropped 31 on York in the semifinals to earn the Trojans a rematch with Omaha Skutt. The teams met in the semifinals a year ago with Skutt winning 67-42.
The SkyHawks, last year’s runners-up and the 2020 champions, got all they could handle from Crete in their Friday semifinal, escaping 57-55.
Can Millikan, a Dordt pledge, end his storied career with a gold medal?
Class C-1
No. 8 Auburn (21-6) vs. No. 3 Ashland-Greenwood (26-2), 11 a.m.: This oughta be fun. A rematch of last year’s final where Ashland-Greenwood ended the Bulldogs’ reign.
Auburn, undeterred as the last seed in this year’s field, has reached its fifth straight championship game after upsetting No. 1 Wahoo in the first round and fifth-seeded Omaha Concordia in Friday’s semifinals 54-53.
The Bulldogs just know how to win in Lincoln, collecting three consecutive state titles from 2019-21. The Jim Weeks model worked its magic yet again.
Ashland-Greenwood is the defending state champion and has looked motivated to take home another first-place trophy this year. The latest proof is a 50-20 semifinal win over Ogallala, the highest-scoring team in the class.
Class C-2
No. 1 Freeman (28-1) vs. No. 2 Amherst (26-1), 4:15 p.m.: Freeman has been the favorite to win its first title since 2010 for at least the last half of the season. The Falcons get Amherst, which was a semifinalist a year ago, but hasn’t been to the final since 1987.
Freeman breezed past Elkhorn Valley in round one and had little trouble shaking Cedar Catholic on Friday in the semifinals. Three players average double figures led by 18 points from Carter Ruse.
Amherst won two games in atypical style to reach the program’s first championship game in 36 year — the Broncos won an OT battle with Norfolk Catholic and then ground out a 36-19 victory over Tri County (Freeman’s only loss) in the semifinals.
Defense might be a star in this final.
Class D-1
No. 1 North Platte St. Patrick’s (25-2) vs. No. 3 Johnson-Brock (24-4), 9 a.m.: The Irish narrowly earned the chance to defend their state championship from a season ago. They got just enough in the fourth quarter of a 43-40 victory to fend off Dundy County-Stratton’s bid at a first championship game appearance.
Johnson-Brock’s Camden Dalinghaus finished 11-for-12 from the free throw line Friday to oust Maywood-Hayes Center 48-40. Dalinghaus had 24 to help the Eagles return to the title bout for the first time since 2019, when they won it.
Class D-2
No. 1 Wynot (24-4) vs. No. 3 Parkview Christian (25-3), 8:15 p.m.: Wynot will go for its second state title since winning it all in 2013. The Blue Devils were runners-up in 2012 and ‘17. They will meet defending champion Parkview Christian in Saturday’s nightcap.
The top-ranked Patriots are in their third straight title game after running away from Shelton in the second half Friday night. Wynot eked out a 53-50 win over Sumner-Eddyville-Miller.