A perfect dozen: Wahoo knocks off Auburn for 12th state title (2024)

LINCOLN- Tradition and history were on full display in the Class C-1 State Title game on March 9 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. On one side, you had Auburn who has been in the state finals six years in a row and on the other was Wahoo seeking their 12th state title in program history.

In the end, it was the Warrior players, coaches and fans who got to celebrate an exciting 49-42 win over the Bulldogs in overtime.

“It just felt so good,” Wahoo senior Marcus Glock said. “All the hard work we put in, the coaches, even the community and all the players. We put in so much work for this and it’s something you dream about as a kid and it took me four hard years to get it, but it’s the best way to go out.”

During the postgame ceremony, many of the players couldn’t hide the emotions on their faces. One of the most notable players was Dylan Simons who had tears in his eyes as he hugged everyone on the court.

“It means a ton,” Simons said. “We have talked about it since I was really little with some of my friends that are on the team. It just meant a ton to finally get it done after all the years of thinking about it.”

Wahoo knew to beat Jim Weeks and the Bulldogs; they were going to have to get off to a good start. The Warriors did exactly that with a 15-3 run in the opening frame that was capped off with a dunk in transition by Cody Hesser and a three from Glock.

“It was absolutely huge,” Wahoo head coach Kevin Scheef said. “It was something we talked a lot about and when you give them the lead, they get way tougher to play against. We wanted to get off to a great start and we did. We felt good about that.”

The momentum swung in favor of Auburn in the second quarter as they stormed back to within three points. A trey from Maverick Binder at the buzzer tied the contest up at 18 apiece at the half.

In the third quarter, the Bulldogs took their first lead at 19-18. Glock answered back with a layup that put Wahoo back up by one.

That lead for the Warriors didn’t last, with the Bulldogs putting up 14 more points. Another three from Binder with time expiring, gave Auburn a 33-26 edge heading to the fourth.

Wahoo knew entering the final eight minutes, it was do-or-die time for them. They quickly pulled back within one of the Bulldogs at 33-32 with a jumper from Glock and back-to-back transition layups from Simons.

“We got down seven and things were not looking good at all,” Scheef said. “One way I have described this team all year long is resilient. They are a resilient bunch. We didn’t put our head down and start feeling bad for ourselves. We just kept plugging away and got back in it.”

Down the stretch, it continued to be Simons and Glock that led the way. At the line, Simons hit four free throws and Glock hit a three up top that gave the Warriors a 39-37 lead.

Auburn responded with a basket in the lane from Cam Leslie that tied the game at 39 apiece and sent the contest to overtime.

In the extra period, Wahoo went up by two possessions at 43-39 with a driving layup and two free throws from Glock. From there, the Warriors leaned on their defense and held the Bulldogs to just three points in a seven-point victory.

Between the fourth and overtime, it was Glock and Simons who scored all the 23 points for Wahoo. Despite this, both players know it was an entire team effort that got them to the top of the mountain.

“I don’t know if we necessarily took it upon ourselves, it was just how the game was flowing a little bit,” Glock said. “Everybody stepped up in their own way and I thought Dylan did a great job of attacking. It was a physical game, but I felt like when we both got going, we are a tough team to stop, and it was a lot of fun.”

Scoring 23 points with five rebounds and three steals was Glock while Simons had 17 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Adding in four points was Kyler Elliott, Hesser and Jase Kaminski had two points and Eli Shada finished with one point.

The Warriors end the year with a record of 23-5 and will return a lot of key contributors from this year’s state championship team heading into next season.

“They are going to have enough talent and the coaches to do it,” Glock said. “Obviously, it’s a long way away and we are going to enjoy this, but I like their odds next year.”