Kristen Tracy, Audrey Runde Lead Balanced Tiger Attack Over Platte Valley

Worth County’s girls survived a shaky first half and adjusted to life without Kambree Briner (shoulder) as they overcame a swarming Platte Valley press and won on the road 43-35 Tuesday, February 17th.

The first quarter started off well as Audrey Runde knocked one down from the high post, Rylee Ruckman got loose against the press for two, and Kristen Tracy aired one out to Keira Hardy for two to make it 6-3. Platte Valley lobbed it into the post to cut it to 6-5, but Megan Tracy hit a circus shot which bounced off the pole and in to spark the Tigers. Kristen Tracy added two free throws and Keira Hardy, who provided a needed spark in Briner’s absence, knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 14-5.

But a lapse on defense, where Mya Wray went coast to coast and blew by three Tiger defenders as time was winding down, sparked them to start the second. Hannah Klamm continued the Platte Valley run with a triple to start the second, and all of a sudden, it was 14-10. Worth County fell back into the bad habits that nearly cost them against East Atchison, forcing one pass after another and speeding up instead of slowing down against the relentless Platte Valley press.

Megan Tracy cashed in on a steal to put Worth County to make it 16-10, but little else went right as Platte Valley chipped away, getting to within 16-15 after Mya Wray slashed and scored with 31 seconds left. But Audrey Runde provided the spark Worth County needed, grabbing a putback and sticking it back in at the first half buzzer, making it 18-15.

Worth County pulled away in the second half by taking much better care of the ball, turning it over four times in the second half after turning it over 12 times in the first. Megan Tracy started the scoring with a 3-pointer, and then Megan Tracy grabbed an offensive board, got it to Keira Hardy, who fed Kristen Tracy for two to make it 23-15. Platte Valley got a putback to cut it to six, but Audrey Runde went coast to coast, Kristen Tracy knocked one down from the high post, Audrey Runde and Rylee Ruckman hit triples, and Kristen Tracy scored from inside to give Worth County a 35-22 lead late in the third.

But then Hannah Klamm threatened to take over for Platte Valley, going to the rim at will during the next stretch, scoring the next seven points for Platte Valley. Worth County bent, but didn’t break this time as they started running the clock out with five minutes left and chipped away from the line to keep Platte Valley from getting close. Platte Valley got as close as 38-30, but free throws from Megan Tracy and Kristen Tracy made it 40-30 with 1:22 left.

Klamm fouled out down the stretch, but Platte Valley kept coming, finally getting it down to six with 21 seconds left after Mya Wray slashed and converted a three point play to make it 41-35. But Kristen Tracy answered with two free throws with 17 seconds to ice the game.

Audrey Runde and Kristen Tracy had 11 points each. Megan Tracy had 9, Rylee Ruckman 7, and Keira Hardy 5.

Kristen Tracy had 3 blocks and Megan Tracy 2.

Megan Tracy had 12 boards. Rylee Ruckman stepped up in Kambree Briner’s absence, grabbing 10. Kristen Tracy had 9, Audrey Runde 5, and Keira Hardy 2.

Keira Hardy had 5 assists. Kristen Tracy had 4, Megan Tracy and Audrey Runde 2 each, and Rylee Ruckman 1.

Kristen Tracy had 5 tips. Rylee Ruckman had 4, Megan Tracy 2, and Keira Hardy and Audrey Runde 1.

Rylee Ruckman had 4 steals. Kristen Tracy had 3, and Audrey Runde and Megan Tracy had 2.

 

Hali Smith Scores 22, Addison Milligan Goes Beast Mode in 50-18 Shamrock Win

North Harrison’s girls had every reason to be worried about a long bus ride down to Linn County to take on the Mustangs. Playing in an unfamiliar gym, things could have gone south in a hurry. But the Shamrocks pulled away late in the first quarter after a slow start and cut down on their turnovers after the first quarter, only committing six in the final three quarters after committing five in the first. After failing to beat six-win North Andrew on their home floor two games before, they locked down on defense, rebounded at will, and got good scoring nights from Hali Smith, Addison Milligan, and Jaxcynn Hansel as they got a 50-18 win against Linn County, with a similar record as North Andrew.

A lot of the Shamrocks’ improvement this year has come from Lani Briggs raising her level of play, occupying the defense, and creating daylight for the other four players on the floor even when she doesn’t score, similar to what Kambree Briner has done for Worth County. Linn County decided to take Briggs out of the equation, faceguarding her everywhere she went. Up stepped Hali Smith, who went to the rack early and often on her way to scoring 22 points. She went beast mode, grabbing 15 boards as well.

A big factor in the Shamrocks’ resurgence has been the play of Addison Milligan. She started earning minutes in junior high when she was pressed into service in an overtime thriller against Worth County and hit a clutch basket in traffic, sending the game to an extra overtime before the Tigers finally won. Addison has been in the rotation ever since, doing all the little things that don’t always get credit or notice.

Finally, this year, Addison grew a few inches and has started emerging as a rebounding force for the Shamrocks and has developed a newfound aggression. Finally, she moved up the rebounding ladder, going beast mode with 15 boards against Linn County. In all three games of their current winning streak, Milligan has had double figures in rebounding. She has  always had a good midrange shot; with Briggs being faceguarded, she found plenty of daylight and got a double-double. Earlier, she struggled with foul trouble, fouling out in the Worth County game, but lately, she has learned to play hard without fouling.

Jaxcynn Hansel was also a force with 13 boards; she and Addison got their big paws in the air as Hansel had 5 blocked shots and Milligan 3 more. Ava Rinehart got her big paws involved as well, leading the team with seven steals; she and Addison combined to feed Hali in the paint. Having Gracie Young back from the flu made a big difference as North Harrison was able to rest key players a lot more throughout the game, a luxury they didn’t have in the Northeast Nodaway game.

Together, the trio of Smith, Milligan, and Hansel are turning into a force on the boards. The Shamrocks grabbed 53 boards against Linn County, a season high, and the kind of numbers that Gilman City has put up all the time during their big run into the state rankings.

A rare defensive lapse on the boards by the Shamrocks allowed Linn County to cut it to 6-4 at the 2:58 mark, but then they started to pull away as Addison Milligan scored one of her midrange shots after Jaxcynn Hansel grabbed an offensive board, Milligan caught a loose carom and scored, and Jaxcynn Hansel got a putback to make it 12-4 after one.

From there, Hali Smith took over the second quarter. She cashed in off an Ava Rinehart steal, then drove and scored after the Mustangs swarmed Lani Briggs. Hansel added a free throw, then Hali knocked down a baseline shot off a pass from Rinehart, split two defenders and finished after getting another pass from Rinehart, fed Addison Milligan inside for two, got behind the defense and got a pass from Milligan for two, slashed and scored for two, and got behind the defense as Gracie Young aired one out to her for two. By the time the dust had settled, North Harrison was up 29-7 at the half.

After Hali had 14 points in the second quarter, Linn County decided to faceguard her, but that left Jaxcynn Hansel open in the third. She started off by grabbing a fourth-chance putback and converting a three point play. Hali Smith converted a third chance putback despite all the pressure, Addison Milligan found Hansel backdoor for two, and then Ava Rinehart aired out an errant pass that Hali Smith saved from going out of bounds and then fed Hansel for two. Lani Briggs finally found some daylight and got on the line to hit two free throws to make it 40-9 after three.

The avalanche continued in the fourth as Jaxcynn Hansel got a putback, Hali Smith threw up an off-balance shot for two after Ava Rinehart got her the ball, Addison Milligan posted up and cashed in, Smith hit a baseline shot after Milligan got an offensive board, and Hali found Milligan in the high post for two.

Hali Smith had 22 for the Shamrocks. Addison Milligan and Jaxcynn Hansel had 12 each. All three had double-doubles. Lani Briggs had 4.

Jaxcynn Hansel had 5 blocks and Addison Milligan 3.

Hali Smith and Addison Milligan had 15 boards. Jaxcynn Hansel had 13, Ava Rinehart 5, Gracie Young 3, and Raegan Hogan 2.

Addison Milligan had 6 assists. Ava Rinehart had 5, Hali Smith 4, Jaxcynn Hansel 2, and Lani Briggs and Gracie Young 1.

Ava Rinehart had 6 tips. Hali Smith had 5, Lani Briggs 3, and Addison Milligan, Jaxcynn Hansel, Kaydence Lambert, and Raegan Hogan had 1.

Ava Rinehart had 7 steals. Hali Smith and Gracie Young had 3, Lani Briggs 2, and Addison Milligan, Kaydence Lambert, and Jaxcynn Hansel had 1.

 

 

Lani Briggs Has Big Second Half as Lady Shamrocks Pull Away

North Harrison’s girls used a 15 point second half from Lani Briggs to pull away from East Harrison 48-24 Thursday in their last regular season game. The win assured them of at least .500. Their magic number for clinching a winning season stood at one game after the win. It was their third win in a row after dropping back-to-back heartbreakers.

The boys picked up a forfeit win over East Harrison, who did not have enough players to field a team.

Hali Smith knocked one down from the high post to start the scoring, Jaxcynn Hansel converted a three point play, and Smith scored from inside to make it 7-4 at the 4:06 mark. But East Harrison kept hanging around, knotting it at 7 after Phoenyx Ratliff’s triple and then again at 8 after Sloane McClain’s free throw to end the first quarter.

The Shamrocks started locking down defensively and denying McClain the easy inside looks she had in the first quarter. Jaxcynn Hansel knocked one down from the high post, then Hali Smith took over, scoring an inside shot, three free throws, and then slashing and scoring to make it 17-9 at the half.

But the Shamrocks only had two people in the scoring column at that point; they are at their most effective offensively when everyone is involved in the scoring. They finally got someone besides Smith or Hansel in the scoring column as Lani Briggs hit a shot from just inside three and Hansel got a putback to make it 21-9.

Avarie Thompson hit a 3-pointer and Sloane McClain hit from inside to cut it to 22-14, but Hali Smith knocked one down from the high post and Ava Rinehart got on the board, turning a steal into free throws to make it 26-14. McClain countered with free throws, but Lani Briggs hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, slashed and scored on another play, and Hali Smith added a steal and drive to make it 33-16 after three.

The momentum turned into an avalanche after Addison Milligan got on the board for a free throw and a baseline shot to start the fourth. Lani Briggs went coast to coast for free throws, Addison Milligan got a putback, and Ava Rinehart knocked one down from the high post after Milligan inbounded it. Lani Briggs hit two straight threes and then Ava Rinehart got a steal, Jaxcynn Hansel missed, but Hali Smith grabbed the offensive board and hit a free throw to give North Harrison its biggest lead of the night at 48-19.

After only having two players score for the first half, the Shamrocks had four players in the scoring column in the third and fourth quarters.

Hali Smith had 17 points for the Shamrocks. Lani Briggs had 15, Jaxcynn Hansel 8, Ava Rinehart 4, and Addison Milligan 4.

Jaxcynn Hansel had 5 blocks. Raegan Hogan had 1.

Addison Milligan showed her big rebounding night against NEN was no accident, as she grabbed 11 again. Jaxcynn Hansel had 8, Ava Rinehart, Gracie Young, and Hali Smith had 7, and Lani Briggs had 5.

Addison Milligan had 5 assists. Hali Smith had 4, Lani Briggs, Ava Rinehart, and Jaxcynn Hansel had 2, and Gracie Young had 1.

Hali Smith had 9 tips. Jaxcynn Hansel had 3, Ava Rinehart 2, and Addison Milligan and Lani Briggs 1.

Ava Rinehart and Lani Briggs had 6 steals. Hali Smith had 3, Jaxcynn Hansel and Addison Milligan 2, and Gracie Young 1.

 

Bentin Roberts has 14 Assists as Bluejay Boys Win Fourth Game

Bentin Roberts showed that his 16-assist night against North Harrison two games before was no accident as he dished out 14 more against South Holt Tuesday, February 17th as Northeast Nodaway won its fourth game of the year, 58-38 over South Holt. The Bluejays, unlike the girls, were coming off a buzzsaw at OSHS, where they got beat 70-34 as the Wildcards were in the middle of a six game rampage in which they brought down King City, Pattonsburg, and East Atchison as well. But the Bluejays rediscovered the form that had nearly worked against North Harrison as they fell into a 5-2 hole against South Holt, only for Bentin Roberts to start dishing the ball off at will and the rest of the team to get on the board.

First, it was Lance Runde to get the hot hand, scoring six points in an 8-0 Bluejay run that made it 10-5. Then, after South Holt threatened to make a game out of it when Cameron Biondo cut it to 13-10, Bentin Roberts drove and scored, Lance Runde aired one out to Wyatt Scadden for two, Reece Gray aired one out to Scadden for a free throw, and Scadden hit a 3-pointer as the Bluejays pulled away to a 21-13 first quarter lead. Like the North Harrison game, everything they threw up was going in.

But then South Holt pulled out their trapping zone and they started getting steals and easy baskets to chip away. Griffin Kemerling scored twice and Biondo got a steal as they closed to within 23-21 before Liam Cordell hit a 3-pointer to make it 26-21 at the half.

But unlike the North Harrison game, where the Bluejays couldn’t buy a stop defensively, they locked down on defense, holding the Knights to 17 as they solved the trapping zone and started to pull away.

Reece Gray started off the scoring with a 3-pointer, Lance Runde scored from inside after Bentin Roberts got him the ball, and Liam Cordell hit a 3-pointer to make it 34-21. Kameron Noland cut it to 34-25, but Liam Cordell hit a 3-pointer and Bentin Roberts hit Wyatt Scadden for three to make it 38-25. South Holt made another push as Will Jackson countered with a putback. But then Reece Gray took a charge on defense and Bentin Roberts kicked it out to Liam Cordell for three on the other end to make it 41-27.

Will Jackson kept going for the Knights, getting another putback to make it 41-29, but Lance Runde cut inside and scored to make it 43-29 after getting yet another pass from Bentin. At that point, frustration set in for South Holt and one of their players got a technical from Referee Tom Seipel and Runde made one free throw to make it 44-29. Bentin Roberts inbounded one to Wyatt Scadden, who drove and scored to make it 46-29 after three.

The Bluejays led by as much as 48-29 behind Bentin Roberts getting to the line and making two of four, but the Knights had another push in then, sparked by a tough baseline shot by Coltyn Fansher. Will Jackson cut inside and scored and Griffin Kemerling connected to make it 51-35. But Wyatt Scadden got loose in transition, Lance Runde hit a free throw, Benton Roberts hit two free throws, and Jace Burns got off the bench to score from inside to give Northeast its largest lead at 58-35.

Liam Cordell had 18 points. Wyatt Scadden had 15, Lance Runde 12, Bentin Roberts 8, Reece Gray 3, and Jace Burns 2.

Reece Gray had 2 blocks.

Bentin Roberts, Lance Runde, and Liam Cordell had 7 rebounds. Wyatt Scadden and Jace Burns had 5, Chase Allen and Reece Gray 2, and Jude Archer, Brady O’Connell, and Fenton Ackley had 1.

     Bentin Roberts had 14 assists. Wyatt Scadden had 3, Lance Runde 2, and Reece Gray 1.

Lance Runde had 4 tips. Bentin Roberts and Wyatt Scadden had 3, and Jude Archer, Chase Allen, and Liam Cordell 1.

Bentin Roberts had 5 steals. Lance Runde had 4, Wyatt Scadden 3, and Liam Cordell and Chase Allen had 1.

  

Hayley Yost Posts Career High as Bluejay Girls Win Second Straight

Northeast Nodaway’s girls won their second straight Tuesday, February 17th as they floored South Holt 51-28 on their senior night and gave their lone senior, Mylee Wilmes, a sendoff. It was a Party in the USA once again as Hayley Yost had a career high with 17 points and Wilmes dished out 10 assists the game after getting the game-winning 3-pointer against OSHS.

The overtime game between Northeast Nodaway and North Harrison turned out to benefit both teams, as both teams won their next two games following that matchup.

The Bluejays started off the game by feeding their two post players, Blair Nelson and Hayley Yost, at will, with Hayley getting the first four and Blair Nelson getting a free throw and following with a steal to make it 7-0. Hayley Yost scored from inside, Blair Nelson scored from inside, then Nelson got a putback to make it 13-0. Finally, someone besides those two got in on the scoring as Mylee Wilmes got a 3-pointer. After Blair Nelson knocked one down from the high post, Bristol Hicks knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Bluejays up 21-2 after one quarter. It was their biggest quarter of the year so far.

The Bluejays continued to pull away in the second quarter as Blair Nelson and Hayley Yost both scored from inside. Brianna Meyer got on the board for the Bluejays; then, Hayley Yost scored from inside and Meyer scored off a drive to make it 31-6 at the half.

But South Holt had won six games up to that point, and they started their comeback bid as Lexi VanHoutan got going for the Knights to start the third quarter to cut it to 33-11. Brianna Meyer picked up her third foul, followed by Hayley Yost after the latter knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 35-11. With them out of the game, the Knights threatened to storm back as Jacelyn Fansher scored twice and then Chloe DeBee scored three free throws to make it 35-18. Northeast was hacking and fouling in the quarter like they were the one playing from behind, not ahead. South Holt would get eight of their 16 points in the period from the line.

Meyer came back in, but VanHoutan would score again as the Knights twice cut it to 15, closing to within 37-22 at the end of three.

With the Bluejays back at full strength in the fourth quarter, they pulled away again as Blair Nelson got loose in transition and then cashed in on a steal to make it 41-22. Rylee Scadden got on the board, going backdoor and getting a pass from Mylee Wilmes to make it 43-22.

South Holt made one last charge as VanHoutan sparked them again with a steal, getting to within 46-28. But Hayley Yost scored the last five points as the Bluejays weathered the storm for the win.

Hayley Yost had 17 points. Blair Nelson had 15, Brianna Meyer 7, Bristol Hicks and Mylee Wilmes 5, and Rylee Scadden 2.

Hayley Yost and Brianna Meyer had 8 rebounds. Blair Nelson had 6, Mylee Wilmes, Bristol Hicks, and Piper Gray with 4 each, and Rylee Scadden 2.

Mylee Wilmes had 10 assists. Blair Nelson, Bristol Hicks, Rylee Scadden, and Brianna Meyer had 2, and Piper Gray had 1.

Rylee Scadden, Blair Nelson, and Hayley Yost had 3 steals. Brianna Meyer and Piper Gray had 2, and Bristol Hicks and Mylee Wilmes had 1.

 

North Nodaway Accepts Two Resignations, Hires Two Teachers, Extends Principals’ Contracts

The North Nodaway School Board, at their regular meeting Wednesday, voted to extend the contracts of Principals Heather Townsend and Cody Jenkins. Townsend was extended through the 2026-27 and 27-28 school years, while Jenkins was extended through the 2026-26 school year.

The board voted to hire McKenna Stephens as the K-12 Art teacher for the upcoming school year. The board voted to hire Logan Jackson as the 6th grade teacher for the upcoming school year.

The board accepted the resignation of Cristy Fountain as the Food Services Director, effective at the end of the current school year. The board voted to accept the resignation of Bethney Pedersen as the Middle School and High School Language Arts teacher at the end of the current school year.

The board added Gabrielle Nielson, Madelynn Caldwell, and Cali Arnold to the substitute teacher list.

The board approved the second reading of the school calendar for 2026-27. School will start on August 24th with an early dismissal. Graduation will be on May 16th. There will be 169 student days and 1112.3 total hours.

The board approved a three year contract with Compass Therapy Services, which provides IEP services to students. It will expire on July 31st, 2029.

The school received two propane bids for the 2026-27 school year. MFA Propane submitted a bid of $.98 per gallon for one year. Agriland submitted a bid for $1.038 for one year. The board voted to accept the MFA Propane bid.

The board voted to accept grant money from the Patterson Foundation for scholarships for staff. Recipients were Cody Jenkins ($13,500), Nathan Schoonover ($5,000), Cindy Martin ($5,460), Reid Hart ($19,138.81), Sami Jackson ($15,000), Tiffany Whipple ($3,000), and Emily Bix ($12,210).

The board authorized the school to seek a Comprehensive Literacy School Development Grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education for $45,213.92 in reading curriculum for the school. If approved, the money will be reimbursed by the state as items sought are ordered.

The board voted to invest $952,000 in funds in CD’s at four different banks through MOSIP. The school is putting $238,000 each into CD’s at four different banks that offer some of the highest interest rates in the country. The banks in question are Community Bank of Lutherville (MD), Financial Federal Savings Bank of Memphis (TN), Cornerstone Bank of York (NE), and Gbank of Las Vegas (NV). These banks offer net rates of between 3.7% and 3.8%, which is lower than last time, but still high. The money will be invested there until they mature on May 5th, 2027. At that time, the school will gain $46,312.51 in interest.

Elementary Principal Heather Townsend reported that the school celebrated a pot luck for Counselor Appreciation Week. The school celebrated its 100th day of school.

High School Principal Cody Jenkins reported that the next Academic Showcase will be on March 11th from 5:15 pm to 7 pm. There will be examples of student work from classrooms, live demonstrations, performances, presentations, and History Day and Science Fair projects.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be on March 12th from 1 pm to 7:30 pm March 12th and the Third Quarter Awards Assembly will be March 13th at 11 am.

Sadee Clapp and Lacy Riley made it to state in FBLA.

The school will be doing another round of emergency drills next month.

North Nodaway will be hosting an FFA contest March 23rd.

Superintendent Chris Turpin reported that the school is in the process of working on salaries for next year. The school has adjusted all of the non-certified salary scales to comply with Missouri’s voter-approved minimum wage law.

Teachers at the elementary are parking on the new lot east of the school, which was the old playground area. The school is seeking to pack gravel and asphalt it in the future.

Worth County and other schools sought waivers from the state to start school earlier than August 24th, but the State Board of Education denied all such waivers. School will start on August 24th at North Nodaway.