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NORFOLK — Makenna Noecker from Cedar Catholic, Alivia Morten from Hartington-Newcastle and Amber Lawson from Wynot played in the Northeast Nebraska All-Star Basketball Game the evening of June 2 at the Cox Activities Center on the campus of Northeast Community College.
The Dark Team, which included Lawson, defeated the Light Team, which included Noecker and Morten, 62-55.
All three Cedar County players factored into the scoring in the opening quarter.
Morten splashed a three just under two minutes into the game while Noecker hit a long ball to put the Light Team up 10-5.
Prior to Noecker’s three, Lawson converted a traditional three-point play to make it 7-5 in favor of the Dark Team.
“I really wished I could have hit a few more shots,” Noecker said. “I felt a little rusty out there.”
Morten would fire in another shot from beyond the arc early in the second half to finish the game with six points, Noecker tossed in seven and Lawson factored into the MVP voting with 13.
“It was really a fun game,” Morten said. “It was great to get one more game in and to represent my school one more time.”
After the Light Team got it going early, a 9-0 run by the Dark Team put them up by three late in the opening quarter.
Lawson scored on a drive to the bucket early in the second 10 minutes then the Dark MVP, Kaitlyn Emanuel of North Bend Central, grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a basket to put the her team up 23-17.
The Light Team would get back to within a bucket later in the second frame after the Light Team MVP, Morgan Moeller of Pierce, scored with 2:18 left in the half, but the Dark Team would go on a 21-7 run to finish the half and open the third quarter to increase the lead.
“It was a pretty fun game,” Noecker said. “Of course, I would have rather won, but I really liked all of the girls and they were all good — we just missed a lot of good shots.”
“We really never gave up,” Morten said. “My dad taught me that; we just kept trying to get back in the game, but we couldn’t quite get there.”
Noecker will get to play in the Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star Girls’ Basketball Game on July 24 in Lincoln.
Dark Team 16 13 19 14 - 62 Light Team 15 10 11 19 - 55
DARK TEAM: Amber Lawson (Wynot) 13; Alex Arenas (Wakefield) 7; Cameryn Skiff (Norfolk High) 8. Emma Heller (Wisner-Pilger) 7; Kaitlyn Emanuel (North Bend) 6; Mia Wiederin (Lutheran High Northeast) 6; Reagan Brummels (Battle Creek) 5; Isabella Bonneau (Bancroft-Rosalie) 4; Channatee Robles (Norfolk Catholic) 3; Madison Bishop (North Bend) 3.
LIGHT TEAM: Morgan Moeller (Pierce) 14; Brooklyn Kruse (Wayne) 9; Makenna Noecker (Cedar Catholic) 7; Halle Beller (Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family) 6; Alivia Morten (Hartington-Newcastle) 6; Samantha Ehlers (Ponca) 5; Brynn Baumert (Guardian Angels Central Catholic) 4; Maci Nemetz (West Holt) 3; Blair Fiala (Howells-Dodge) 1.
