• Photo Showcase: Saturday's finals

* * *

LINCOLN — At tipoff, Hastings St. Cecilia center Zach Sterup looked like he would rather be anywhere than a basketball court.

But when he received another state championship gold medal two hours later, it looked like there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

Sterup, who spent much of Friday night at Lincoln’s Bryan LGH West Medical Center receiving treatment for viral-like symptoms, gutted out the Bluehawks’ 46-40 win over Chadron in the Class C-1 state championship game Saturday. The win gave St. Cecilia an unprecedented third consecutive C-1 basketball title in a rematch of last season’s title game.

The 6-foot-10 Sterup helped lead a defensive effort that limited the Cardinals to 33-percent shooting (15-of-46) and largely contained Chadron’s 6-foot-11, Minnesota-bound center Elliott Eliason. Sterup finished with seven points and three blocked shots in 29 minutes despite being advised initially by doctors not to play at all Saturday.

“We think it is viral meningitis, but they couldn’t prove it because I didn’t get a spinal tap,” Sterup said. “My fever broke in the hospital. Then I went to my parents’ hotel room at about 1:30. I was sweating all over.”

Senior Dalton Sealey provided the offensive firepower for the Bluehawks (25-1), finishing with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 4-for-5 performance on 3-pointers. The win gave St. Cecilia a sweep of this season’s football and boys basketball state titles.

“All the people got to me and got my adrenaline going extra high. I guess that’s what happens,” Sealey said. “Finishing out as a senior with football-basketball state titles is really great.”

Sealey and senior Joe Ryan hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the fourth quarter to give the Bluehawks a 38-35 lead, and St. Cecilia never trailed again. After Beau Schwenka followed with a basket to push the lead to five, St. Cecilia went 6 for 10 at the foul line in the final two minutes to seal the win.

Eliason led Chadron with 14 points and blocked five shots, but was pushed away from the basket all game, preventing him from controlling the paint.

St. Cecilia coach Kevin Asher split the responsibilities of guarding Eliason between Sterup and 6-foot-4 forward Paul Goedert. Late in the game, it was Sterup who drew the task of muscling up on Chadron’s star.

“We probably thought the game was going to be in the 40s, and we had a chance to keep it in the low 40s,” Asher said. “We did a great job at defending. They’re a tough team.”

With the Bluehawks taking away Eliason inside, Chadron couldn’t capitalize on open looks from the outside. The Cardinals hit just 5 of 18 3-pointers, and shot just 3 for 12 from the floor in the fourth quarter. Zach Bargen added 13 points on 4-of-19 shooting for the Cardinals.

“We weren’t hitting shots,” Chadron coach Craig Nobiling said. “They were overplaying, and we didn’t get backdoor cuts.

“Elliott didn’t post up where he needed to, but part of that was because he was being moved out of position. That’s something he’ll learn. He’s got five great years ahead of him at Minnesota.”

With the win, St. Cecilia becomes the first C-1 team ever to win three straight boys basketball championships, and just the fourth C-1 team ever to capture both football and boys basketball titles in the same school year.

“First of all, you have to thank the parents,” Asher said. “The parents do a great job of supporting us, and then with our weight program right now the kids just knock the door down. They’re tight-knit. They just love competing. They’re not about the stats or the individual glories at all. They’re not worried about statistics. We don’t post them, and they don’t worry about them. They just want to play for state championships right now.”

Chadron (23-2).......................7 10 14 9—40
Hastings St. Cecilia (25-1)........10 11 9 16—46
• H: Paul Goedert 1-4 1-2 3, Zachery Sterup 3-10 1-2 7, Dalton Sealey 7-11 6-11 24, Joe Ryan 1-2 1-2 4, Beau Schwenka 2-8 3-4 8, Matthew Kissinger 0-0 0-0 0, Phillip Hamburger 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Consbruck 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-35 12-21 46.
• C: Jonathan Lordino 1-1 0-0 2, Elliott Eliason 6-12 2-5 14, Alec Holmquist 1-6 0-0 3, Zach Bargen 4-19 3-5 13, Braden Roes 2-5 0-0 6, Wyatt Blome 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor Hencey 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 15-46 5-10 40.
• 3-Point Goals: Hastings SC 6-8 (Sealey 4-5, Ryan 1-1, Schwenka 1-2), Chadron 5-18 (Holmquist 1-5, Bargen 2-9, Roes 2-4). Fouled Out: Holmquist. Rebounds: Hastings SC 30 (Goedert 9), Chadron 26 (Eliason 7). Assists: Hastings 10 (Goedert 4), Chadron 9 (Bargen 5). Total Fouls: Hastings SC 13, Chadron 16.

Contact the writer:

444-1201, sports@owh.com

« High Schools

Share