2020 Class C1 “Super 7”

As we finish our coverage of the 2019-20 season, and as we wait anxiously to have basketball return, let’s take a look at the seven best players in Nebraska’s Class C1 this past winter. <strong>The Season in Review: </strong>What began as one of the most wide-open classes in the state lived up to that promis throughout the season.  The top 12-15 teams moved up and down the wild card standings throughout the season, with surprise teams like Chadron, St. Paul and Syracuse taking turns along with preseason favorites North Bend-Central, Lincoln Christian and Broken Bow battling throughout the season.  District champion games were equally as crazy, with Wahoo, Adams Central, Malcolm and West Point-Beemer all pulling upsets to punch their tickets to the state tournament. <strong>Recapping the State Tournament: </strong>A competitive state tournament from start to finish found St. Paul, in their first tournament appearance since the early 1990s, pulled a slight upset over Wahoo, while Adams Central defeated Chadron in a 2-7 upset; Adams Central had played an outstanding regular season schedule with a young team, so it the match-up was more even than the seeds would state.  On a collision course for the finals, North Bend Central and Lincoln Christian met on Saturday, with the overwhelming depth of North Bend-Central wearing down the Crusaders, walking away with a 48-32 victory. <strong>Plum’s Predictions: </strong>6-1 at the state tournament; St. Paul’s upset of Wahoo in the opening round was my only negative mark. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">THE SUPER SEVEN</span></strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94293" first="Olivia" last="Hollenbeck"] (6’4" Center, Senior, Lincoln Christian):</strong> Hollenbeck lived up to the preseason hype, leading the Crusaders to a 23-4 record and a state runner-up finish.  A Fort Hayes State signee, Hollenbeck averaged 14.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and over three blocks a game, while intimidating many more.  Hollenbeck’s mobility and offensive touch improved every year in high school, and if she continues to work on her athleticism, she has a chance to be an outstanding player at Fort Hayes. <strong>Lauren Emanuel (6’1" Center, Senior, North Bend-Central): </strong>The oldest of the Emauel "musketeers", Lauren Emanuel is an outstanding defender and finisher around the rim.  She can face up or play with her back to the basket, and she runs the floor extremely well for a player her size.  Emanuel’s counting numbers were modest (10.7 points and 8.2 rebounds), but she was a catalyst who gave up her own statistics for the good of the program, which ended with a net around her neck after the state championship game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94450" first="Sidney" last="Swanson"] (5’7" Guard, Junior, West Point-Beemer): </strong>Swanson was the ultimate stat-stuffer for the Cadets, leading them to back to back state tournament appearances for the first time in school history.  Swanson tallied 20.3 points a night, along with 6.1 rebounds and four steals a game.  Swanson is sure to gain alot of recruiting attention next season, where she figures to be one of the most attractive recruits for GPAC schools and perhaps regional Division II schools if she continues to develop. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94310" first="Brooke" last="Poppert"] (5’11" Forward, Senior, St. Paul): </strong>Poppert, along with her sister Olivia, formed a dynamic Batman/Robin duo that resulted in the Wildcats making their first state tournament appearance since 1993.  Poppert averaged 19.6 points and 6.3 rebounds a night, leading the Wildcats to a banner season of 24 wins and a fourth place finish at the state tournament.  Another addition to an outstanding Hastings College recruiting class, Poppert has a chance to be a tremendous inside/outside threat at the NAIA level. <strong>Kendall Brigham (5’5" Point Guard, Senior, Wahoo): </strong>Brigham and Swanson had very similar seasons, with both players taking younger, inexperienced supporting casts and raising them up to a high level and a state tournament appearance.  Brigham averaged 17.5 points a night for the 18-8 Warriors, and she should fit in pretty seamlessly to the run and gun style of perenial NAIA power Concordia (NE) the next four seasons. <strong>Olivia Reed (6’0" Forward, Sophomore, Chadron): </strong>Reed is a long and athletic forward who is also an outstanding track athlete, Reed does most of her damage inside and on drives.  The dynamic of the Panhandle will change next season will change, however, when Reed moves on her her family to Greeley, Colorado after her father, Houston, took an assistant’s position at Northern Colorado.  Reed’s numbers for this season (17 ppg and 6.8 rpg) put her in the Super 7 this season, and we wish her nothing but the best as she finishes her prep career in Colorado. <strong>Sydney Emanuel (5’6" Point Guard, Sophomore, North Bend-Central): </strong>The second North Bend-Central appearance in the Super 7 (and the second Emanuel sister as well), Sydney was the key to the Tigers offense and ran the show to perfection for the 27-2 Tigers.  Like her sister, her counting numbers were not off the charts (9.7 points and 3 assists a game), but her contributions and defensive intensity were key to the Tigers run to a state championship.