BOYS STATE BASKETBALL: Skutt Gets BuzzerBeating Basket to End Norris’ Run
Mar 14, 2025
Omaha Skutt's George Ziebell (50) put a shot up to score the game winning basket, after a missed attempt by teammate Kyle Cannon (3) with two seconds left in Friday's Class B semifinal of the NSAA Boys State Basketball Tournament. (Jeff Motz/KFOR Sports)LINCOLN–(KFOR Mar. 14)–Omaha Skutt is back
in the Class B boys state basketball tournament championship game for the fourth year and will seek its third consecutive title, after the SkyHawks were lifted into the finals off a buzzer-beating basket from 6-9 center George Ziebell with two seconds left in a 51-49 victory over Norris on Friday night in the Class B semifinal at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Skutt (24-4) will play No. 2 seed Scottsbluff in Saturday’s 6:15pm championship game, after the Bearcats edged Elkhorn North 58-55 in the other semifinal game Friday night.
Following Ziebell’s basket, officials put 0.5 seconds back on the clock for Norris to try and pull off a miracle shot, like they did the day before when Barret Boesiger’s 70-foot shot at the buzzer beat Lincoln Pius X in the Class B quarterfinal.
The shot attempt from Boesiger on Friday night was short after the buzzer sound. Norris finished the season at 24-3, two of their losses to Skutt and the other to Class A tournament top-seed Papillion-LaVista South.
Norris jumped ahead 12-4 in the first quarter, eight of those points came from Josh Bornschlegl. The Titans led 14-8 heading into the second quarter. Norris’ biggest lead came with 6:37 left in the first half at 19-10, when Jarrett Behrends hit a three-pointer and Chris Garner, Jr. scored off a layup.
Skutt marched back to tie the game at 19, off a 9-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Gideon Linderman with 4:37 remaining before halftime. Garner’s layup put the Titans back in front, then Cannon’s layup on a fastbreak tied the game for the SkyHawks.
Garner added another basket, but Cannon made one of two free throws with eight seconds left and Norris led Skutt 23-22 at halftime.
The Titans led 31-27 off a layup from Alec Small with 5:32 in the third quarter and went up 33-29 off a layup from Bornschlegl about 45 seconds later. Skutt went on a 6-0 run but Evan Greenfield later tied the game for Norris at 37 with 2:01 remaining. Jaxen Urbanovsky added one of two free throws to put the Titans in front. Cannon and 6-9 senior center Brock Scholl added a pair of baskets and Skutt led 40-39 heading into the final quarter.
ICYMI: Barret Boesiger’s 70-foot buzzer beater for Norris to beat Lincoln Pius X in the Class B state tournament. KFOR’s Jeff Motz on the call and 10/11 with the video. pic.twitter.com/86iiTth6uW
— KFOR Radio (@KFORRADIO) March 14, 2025
Skutt took control 45-43 with 5:02 left in the game, when Dylan Van Dyke hit a three-pointer. Scholl scored on a second chance opportunity at the basket to extend the lead and Bornschlegl hit a three-pointer to pull Norris back to within two, 49-47, with 3:07 remaining. Greenfield later tied the game with a layup with 1:27 to play before the game winner from Skutt.
Scholl led the SkyHawks with 16 points, while Cannon chipped in 13 and Ziebell added 10 points and 17 rebounds.
Garner led Norris with 16 points and Bornschlegl finished with 13 points.
Click the link below to hear the podcast of the game.
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