Thunder host Worth County for courtwarming festivities

Sophomore Paige Hanson gets ready to fight for a rebound.

By Morgan Guyer

It was a tale of two games on January 27 in Graham, as the Nodaway Valley Thunder boys and girls basketball teams both earned wins over Worth County during the courtwarming festivities.

The girls team dominated from start to finish, grabbing a 65 – 27 win over the Tigers to move to an impressive 15 – 6 on the season so far. The Thunder used a huge second quarter to jump out to a 44 – 15 halftime lead, and they would never look back.

The boys game was a much different story from start to finish. The Tigers started the game hot, leading 19 – 5 at the end of the first quarter. The Thunder struggled to get much done offensively, turning the ball over and not hitting shots. They were able to claw to within six, as Worth County took a 23 – 17 lead into half.

The Tigers held a lead for the entire third quarter, and most of the fourth. Finally, with the help of Junior Kayden Conn, Nodaway Valley was able to make a run late in the fourth quarter, eventually getting the game tied at 45 – 45 with under a minute left. Worth County had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but the shot fell short.

Senior Bracxten Rohlmeier struggled for most of regulation, but he showed up in a big way in overtime. He hit a big three point shot to give the Thunder a 50 – 49 lead with a minute left, and then just 15 seconds later he would score a lay-up and the foul. A few free throws later and the game was won 58 – 49 for Nodaway Valley.