Nebraska high school girls basketball preseason Top 25 (12/4/2023)

Elkhorn North and Omaha Skutt Catholic might be Class B competition, but they have shown they can compete with the state’s largest class and do so in dominant fashion. 

Elkhorn North’s Britt Prince, one of ESPN’s top-30 players in the nation, is a huge problem for opponents – even those in Class A. Skutt Catholic will be dangerous again this season, as three key scorers – and defenders – return. 

1.Bellevue West (22-6, state semifinal) 

Ahnica Russell-Brown and Kenzie Melcher’s return for their senior year propels Bellevue West into our No. 1 spot. Both scored more than 300 points and will be vital pieces to this Thunderbird squad. The goal, this year, is to win it all.

2. Elkhorn North (25-1, state champion)

We have Elkhorn North in our No. 2 spot, but they undoubtedly have the best player in the state in sharp-shooter Britt Prince. Prince is heading to Lincoln next year to play for Coach Amy Williams, and is an ESPN top-30 player in the country. If Prince stays healthy, this team will go far.

3. Millard North (23-3, state semifinals)

Leading scorer Kayla Preston, who averaged about 10 points per game, is gone, so other Mustangs will have to step up and develop quickly. Look for breakout years from juniors Sara Harley and Avril Smith. Smith, a 6-footer, will cause matchup advantages for North.

4. Omaha Skutt Catholic (28-2, state runner-up)

Molly Ladwig, Allison Burt and Petyon McCabe all return for the SkyHawks. This was a dominant team a year ago, losing just one out-of-state matchup to elite competition, and then to Elkhorn North in the final. Expect them to be right back in the mix this season.

5. Millard West (17-8, state playoffs)

This team will be led by junior twins Norah and Neleigh Gessert. Last year, the duo averaged 10 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. The Wildcats had a tough draw for playoffs, playing one-loss and eventual runner-up Lincoln high. We expect this team to get further this season.

6. Lincoln Southwest (14-11, state playoffs)

A healthy Kennadi Williams could make all the difference for this squad. Last year, she missed a chunk of the season recovering from a knee injury, but still managed to return later in the year and propel her team into the state tournament. Southwest lost to Millard South in the opening round of playoffs.

7. Millard South (26-2, state champion)

Some may think this is a low spot for the returning state champs to be, but this team is fairly depleted after losing three superstars in Cora Olsen, Mya Babbitt and Khloe Lemon. But, this is still a well-coached squad. It will be interesting to see how they respond this year.

8. Lincoln North Star (17-8, state playoffs)

North Star was one of the feel-good stories coming out of Nebraska last winter. After starting the season slow, the Navigators got hot in January and continued that success into the state tournament, where they fell in the opening round to Millard North. Junior Sarah Gatwech returns as the team's leading scorer, averaging nearly 13 per game last year.

9. Omaha Central (16-10, district final)

Central looks to improve on last season by leaning heavily on Inia Jones. Jones, a second-team all-stater, averaged nearly 19 points per game last season. A pure shooter, she’s dangerous nearly everywhere on the floor. Also look for key minutes from Taylor Gonzales, who averaged about 11 points per outing.

10. Lincoln Northeast (14-11, district final)

Doneelah Washington will be the focus of attention for Northeast’s opposition this season. The 6-foot center has good moves around the rim and is a tenacious player. THe Rockets’ season ended with a 54-50 loss to eventual Class A runner-up Lincoln High.

11. Lincoln Pius X (18-6, district final)

Pius missed the state tournament in heartbreaking fashion last season, losing to Lincoln Northstar 36-35 in the district final. Pius will need to find some court leaders early this season in the absence of graduate and leading scorer Addison Markowski.

12. Omaha Marian (10-13)

Marian has a lot of players with the ability to score points, but it will be critical this season that they find one or two girls to really carry the scoring workload. Look for that to be McKenna Stover and Maggie Tynan. The duo averaged about nine points each last year, and will be crucial this season, too.

13. Bellevue East (21-5, district final)

Bellevue East loses second-team all-stater Mya Scoff, but returns some talent that should allow them to compete well this season. Look for Junior Jayla Wilson to have a breakout season. Last season, she averaged nine points and four assists per game. Kara Stricklin will also need her touches, averaging 11 points per game last year.

14. Lincoln High (24-2, state runner-up)

Lincoln High was seeded No. 6 in the Class A state tournament last year, and had an impressive run making it to the final before losing to Millard South. This team, though, doesn’t look to have the same fire power as last. They will have to show us something to move up the rankings.

15. Columbus (8-16)

Senior Carly Gaedeke will need to be a leader for this Discovers squad. Last year, she averaged nine points per game. Look for Jordyn Trotta and sophomore Molly Goc to be bigger contributors this season.

16. Lincoln Southeast (10-14)

Southeast lost five of its last six games to conclude last season. It will be imperative for the Knights to get off to a hot start this year to build some momentum heading into 2024. A slow start could be detrimental to the Knights outlook this season.

17. Papillion-La Vista South (10-13)

The Titans will need to find some scorers to have a shot at a competitive year. After losing guard Taylor Mauch, Junior Charlee Solomon is South’s leading returning scorer. She averaged 10 points and nearly nine rebounds per game. She will receive some help from Kate Ligon, a 6-foot post.

18. Benson (10-11)

Benson was a wild team to watch last year. With only a handful of players on the team, the Bunnies went on an impressive win streak in January before the train derailed in February. Ahmani Klabundi returns, after averaging 19 points per game last season. One key loss for Benson is third-team all-stater Zakiyyah Muhammad, who averaged a state-leading 18 rebounds per game.

19. Gretna (11-12)

Brooke Rose is the leading returning scorer for the Dragons, averaging nearly nine points per game last season. Gretna’s schedule is fairly difficult, so picking up some early wins will be much-needed to build some confidence.

20. Fremont (9-13)

Coming off its Class A state championship in 2022, Fremont had a rocky rebuilding year last season. The good news for the Tigers is that a lot of underclassmen got legitimate minutes, enabling them to come into this season with more experience. Kate Denker, Mattie Dalton and Jenna McClain all averaged about nine points per game.

21. Westview (11-13)

A first-year program, Westview actually had a good season last year, nearly going .500. With a plethora of players returning with playing experience, we think this has a chance to be a decent squad. Returning leading scorer is sophomore Stella Williams, who averaged about 12 points per game.

22. Beatrice (17-5, state playoffs)

Beatrice pieced together a nice 2022-23 season, making the state playoffs and earning a No. 6 seed. The Orangemen lost in the opening round to Sidney in a tight game. Beatrice’s schedule looks favorable, but a tough matchup against Malcolm lies ahead on Dec. 15.

23. Waverly (17-8, state playoffs)

Waverly has a chance at making a playoff run this season, with its three leading scorers returning. Peyton Tritz, Annie Harms and Parker Christiansen all averaged about 10 points per game last season. They lost in the opening round of playoffs to Skutt Catholic.

24. York (21-3, state semifinals)

Kiersten Portwine is York’s leading returning scorer. Last year, she netted an average of 10 points and pulled down about four rebounds. She will receive some help from teammate Chloe Koch, who scored about nine per game. York fell in semifinals last year to Elkhorn North.

25. North Bend Central (28-1, state champion)

North Bend Central has won four straight titles, but with the graduation of first-team all-stater Kourtney Emanuel, this team will need to prove a few things and show they belong. For a Class C-1 team to even crack the top 25, it shows tremendous skill.

Next 5: Lincoln East, Omaha North, Kearney, Norfolk, Bennington