Omaha North's Alaeya Randle goes up for a shot against Lincoln North Star's Ani Leu (15) and KJ Pinchon, while North's Justine Tcheuhchoua (14) watches during the second half of the NSAA Class A Girls State Basketball championship at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Mar. 7, 2026. (Jeff Motz/KFOR Sports)LINCO LN–(KFOR Mar. 7)–Seniors Ani Leu and Kendall Anderson combined for 34 points to help Lincoln North Star capture their first NSAA Class A Girls State Basketball championship on Saturday, with a 51-35 victory over Omaha North at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Gators finish the season at 27-1, avenging a 53-45 loss to the Vikings in Omaha during the regular season.   North finished the season at 26-5 and runner-up, making their first finals appearance since 2000 and third overall in school history.  The Vikings first and only state title came in 1998. Lincoln North Star’s Ani Leu twirls the net after cutting it down following the Gators’ 51-35 victory over Omaha North to win the NSAA Class A Girls State Basketball championship at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, Mar. 7, 2026. (Jeff Motz/KFOR Sports) Trailing 17-8 early in the second quarter, North Star would go on and outscore Omaha North by going on a 15-1 spurt.  In the middle of the run, North guard Jo Metoyer went down with what appeared to be a left ankle injury and left her out of the game through halftime.  KJ Pinchon scored a layup right before the buzzer and North Star led 23-18 at halftime. Even with Metoyer returning with less than five minutes left in the third quarter, Omaha North wasn’t as effective as she continued to play through a limp.  North Star, meanwhile, maintained a 34-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Anderson and McKenna Powell each hit three-pointers to open up the final quarter to space out North Star’s lead.  Leu scored with 2:19 to play to boost the Gator lead to 12, 47-35. Lincoln North Star guard Joyce Johnson cuts off a piece of the net after the Gators won the Class A Girls State Basketball title on Saturday, Mar. 7, 2026 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. (Jeff Motz/KFOR Sports) North Star’s 1-3-1 defense helped contribute to the 21 turnovers committed by Omaha North.  At the free-throw line, the Gators shot 61% on 11-of-18 made attempts, while the Vikings were 33% from the charity-stripe on 5-of-15 shooting. Metoyer finished with a team-high 15 points for Omaha North. Click the link to hear the podcast of the game. Class A Girls State Basketball Championship: Omaha North vs. Lincoln North Star 3-7-26. ...read more read less