Basketball Recap: Council Grove Finds Playoff Glory Versus Nemaha Central

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Council Grove walked away with it. They managed a 64-58 victory over the Nemaha Central Thunder on Wednesday. The win was all the more spectacular given the Braves' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 113th, while the Thunder are ranked 31st).

Brycen Palmquist

Steals

03/05/25 @ Nemaha Central	10
12/06/24 vs Mission Valley	8
02/24/25 @ Burlington	7
01/13/25 vs Lyndon	7
12/14/24 vs Rural Vista [Hope/White City]	6
+ 17 more games

Brycen Palmquist continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double with 24 points and ten steals. Council Grove is 12-5 when Palmquist posts three or more steals, but 2-3 otherwise. Finn Gant was another key player, going 7-for-13 to rack up 18 points and eight rebounds.

The victory made it two in a row for Council Grove and bumps their season record up to 14-8. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points over those games. As for Nemaha Central, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-3.

Looking ahead, Council Grove will challenge Hesston at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Hesston will roll in looking for their ninth straight win, something Council Grove surely won't give up without a fight. Nemaha Central does not have any more games scheduled as of now.