Top stars, best performances in Nebraska high school girls basketball (Feb. 6-11)

By Sam Pimper 

In her final rivalry game against crosstown foe Bellevue West, senior Mya Scoff raced out of the gate with 23 points in the first half and cruised for another seven down the stretch to help Bellevue East pick up a huge win over Bellevue West.

Mya Scoff, Bellevue East senior

Scoff scored a game-high 30 points – 23 in the first half – during Bellevue East’s 65-51 win over Bellevue West. On the year, she’s leading the Chieftains in scoring, netting 16 per game. She’s also pulling down four rebounds and averaging two assists.

Kenzie Melcher, Bellevue West junior

Melcher scored a season-high 28 points during a 65-51 loss to crosstown rival Bellevue East. She followed that up with a 17-point performance during a win over Lincoln Southeast. On the year, she’s averaging just over 11 points, five rebounds and two assists per game.

Adison Markowski, Lincoln Pius X senior

Markowski had two of her best scoring nights of the year this past weekend. She dropped 19 for the Thunderbolts during a one-point loss to Lincoln East, and followed that up with a season-high 20 during a blowout win over Fremont. On the season, she’s scoring just under 12 points per game and pulling down four boards.

Taylor Gonzales, Omaha Central junior

Gonzales scored 15 points during a 64-59 loss to Lincoln Northeast. En route, she netted three shots from deep and bumped her points-per-game average to 11.4. Her season high of 22 came in December versus Omaha Northwest, and the 15 scored during Northeast was her third best shooting performance of the season.

Tatum Rusher, Kearney senior

Rusher scored a game-high 23 points during a 56-28 win over Lincoln Southeast. It was her second time this season eclipsing the 20-point mark, with her season’s best of 25 coming during a December win over Fremont. On the season, she’s averaging just under 12 points per game.

Ahmani Klabundi, Benson junior

The junior guard scored a game-high 28 points during a loss to Omaha Marian. After averaging just over six points per game last season, she’s exploded onto the scene averaging 19 this season. She’s also averaging more than five rebounds, three assists and two steals per outing.

Rease Murtaugh, Papillion-LaVista junior

Murtaugh tied her season best of 27 points during a lopsided win over Westview. She was 6-for-9 from behind the arc, shooting 67 percent. On the year, she’s averaging just over 14 points per game, four rebounds, three assists and about two steals.

Stella Williams, Westview freshman

Williams scored 15 points leading her team to a win over Omaha Burke. On the season, the freshman is averaging 10 points per game and just under five rebounds. Her season high 19 points came during a 63-53 win over Elkhorn South.

Zaria Townsend, Buena Vista freshman

Townsend scored 19 points during a loss to Omaha North. This was the fourth time this season she’s hit the 19-point mark. On the year, she’s averaging more than 11 points per game, as well as nearly 11 rebounds.

Ayanna Hill, Omaha North freshman

The hot-handed freshman scored a game-high 20 points, shooting 67 percent from the floor, during a win over Buena Vista. Hill has been a steady scoring presence form the Vikings, who have a much-improved squad in comparison to years past.

Katherine Thaden, Omaha Brownell Talbot senior

Thaden scored 19 points during a 50-24 win over Boys Town. She also had 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Teammate Abbi Gibbs also had a big night for the Raiders, scoring 11 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

McKenna Yates, McCool Junction junior

Yates scored a season-high 35 points during a win over Exeter-Milligan. She’s scored 20 points or more 14 times this season and is averaging 21 per game. As a freshman and sophomore, she scored 17 and just over 18 per game, respectively.

Olivia Hansen, Maywood/Hayes Center senior

Hansen scored a game-high 18 points during a win over South Platte. On the year, she’s scoring just under 14 points per game, four rebounds and three assists. Her season-high 23 points came during a January win over Wauneta-Palisade.

Kailee Potts, Perkins County junior

Potts scored a game-high 17 points during a win over Bayard. She made two from deep and also had three rebounds. On the season, she’s scoring 18 points per game, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Tahlia Steinbeck, Hershey senior

Steinbeck scored 27 points during a win over Paxton, and followed that up with a season-high 30 points against St. Patrick’s. This season, she’s averaging just over 13 points per game, five rebounds and an assist.

Jacelyn Jorgensen, Paxton junior

Jorgensen scored 18 points during a win over Sutherland. Earlier last week, she also scored 16 during a loss to Hershey. On the season, she’s scoring just over 11 points per game, pulling down 10 rebounds and getting three takeaways.

Carleigh Weyers, Lewiston senior

Weyers scored 30 points during a win over Southern. It’s the second time this season she’s scored 30 or more, the first coming during a lopsided win over Pawnee City. This season, she’s scoring just over 15 points per game and averaging four rebounds, three assists and more than three steals.

Juliana Maxfield, Fullerton senior

Maxfield scored a season-high 26 points during a win over St. Edward. On the year, she’s averaging more than 11 points per game, as well as six rebounds, two assists and three steals. Her per-game scoring average as a junior was just under seven.

Lani Meier and Ashley Bauer, Elm Creek senior and sophomore

Meier scored a game-high 19 points during a win over Hi-Line. Bauer nearly equally contributed on the scoring front, netting 18. Riding a two game winning streak, Elm Creek is now 11-10 on the season.

Ella Reinoehl, Bennington senior

Reinoehl scored a season-high 16 points during a win over Roncalli Catholic. On the year, she’s averaging just under 8 points per game, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. Her per-game scoring is up about three points from last year.

Joslyn Policky, Blair junior

Policky scored 17 points during a win over Elkhorn. THis was a season high, with her previous best scoring mark of 14 coming during a win over Plattsmouth. On the season, she’s averaging just under seven points per game.

Bailee Durant, South Sioux City freshman

Durant scored 27 points during a win over Gross Catholic. On a squad where points have – at times – been tough to come by, the freshman has been a proven leader for the Cardinals this year. En route to her 27 points, Durant went 4-for-5 from deep and pulled down three rebounds.

Brooklyn Mohrman, Bridgeport junior

Mohrman scored 22 points during an 85-26 win over Morrill. This was her second-best scoring outing of the season, with her season-high 23 points coming during a win over Hemingford. She’s averaging just over 13 points per game, three rebounds, two assists and four steals.

Halle Dolliver, Malcolm freshman

Dolliver continues to roll during the latter part of this season. During a win over Duchesne, she dropped 21 points, shooting 75 percent from the floor. She also went 3-for-5 from behind the arc and pulled down seven rebounds.

Macie Peters, Wood River junior

Peters netted a season-high 21 points during a loss to Minden. A consistent scoring threat for Wood River, Peters is averaging just under 13 points per game, five rebounds, an assist and a steal.