T-Birds Hot in Huge Win Over LHS (2-2-12)
Johnson County Central 67, Louisville boys 28

Johnson County Central outscored Louisville 26-1 in the second quarter, leading to an easy 67-28 victory in an East Central Nebraska Conference tournament semi-final game at Southeast Community College.

Louisville kept the Thunderbirds within reach for the first 6:22 of the game. When Mitch Petersen came off the LHS bench to score the last of his three long-range 3s, the Lions had knotted the score at 11-11.

But JCC’s twin towers of Nate Kuhl, a 6’ 7” junior, and his 6’ 9” classmate, Justin Damme, each hit short-range field goals to finish off the first period then scored eight and nine points, respectively, in the huge second quarter, helping to give the Thunderbirds a 41-12 lead at the break.

The talented T-Birds dropped in 16-of-23 first-half shots from the field, including 5-of-9 treys, while shooting nearly 70% from the field.

Louisville could get no closer then 27 points in the second half, trailing by as many as 40 before JCC settled for the 67-28 win.

The Lions will now play in the consolation game against Malcolm at 2:45 on Saturday before the T-Birds, 17-1 and ranked fourth in Class C-2 by the Lincoln Journal-Star, take on Elmwood-Murdock in the 8:00 title contest.

Louisville's Mitch Petersen grabs a rebound from Layne Kettelhake in the 67-28 win at the ECNC Tourney.

Photo compliments of Krambeck Photography.
Click to view more photos
from this event....