By Marisa Dawson

In a thrilling rematch of an earlier season clash, the Bennington Badgers boys basketball team overcame a deficit and erupted in the fourth quarter to defeat Omaha Roncalli Catholic 55-52 on Tuesday, March 3, capturing the District B-4 championship and securing their berth in the Nebraska state tournament.

The game, played at Roncalli Catholic High School, saw Bennington avenge a 58-55 loss to the Crimson Pride on February 10. Roncalli, entering as the No. 1 district seed with a 20-5 record, jumped out to an early lead, taking a 17-10 advantage after the first quarter. They maintained control through much of the contest, leading by as many as 10 points at points, but Bennington (now 17-8) stayed resilient, trailing closely and pulling away in the final period.

The Badgers trailed entering the fourth quarter before mounting a decisive surge, outscoring Roncalli 19-11 in the frame to flip the script and claim the victory. Bennington’s defense tightened, forcing turnovers and getting to the free-throw line, while their offense found rhythm in transition and half-court sets.

Junior Blaize Jung led the way for Bennington with a game-high 20 points, showcasing his scoring prowess throughout. Junior Kale Lamberty added 12 points, providing key contributions in the comeback effort.

Head coach Luke Olson praised his team’s grit in a post-game interview. “It’s always a grind of a game,” Olson said. “But that’s what you do in these games. Just try to tough it out and try to make enough plays to get ahead at the end. And these guys did.”

He highlighted the fourth-quarter adjustment that sparked the rally. “We went into that half court pressure kind of thing and that sped them up a little bit and got some turnover, we got to the free throw line… I think our guys did a good job of just going one play at a time. And when we got ahead and stretched it to five, I felt like these guys played pretty confidently,” he noticed.

Olson also emphasized the team’s growth in chemistry and mindset. “They’re a connected group and there’s no egos. They’re selfless. They’ve really bought in recently to just going one play at a time and moving on from mistakes and moving on from bad calls and just staying present… If you do that for 32 minutes, you’re going to make a lot of good plays.”

Senior Brady Nichols, who was part of Bennington’s state-qualifying team as a sophomore but saw limited action then, expressed pure joy at returning. “It feels amazing just being back to state because I was there my sophomore year, but I didn’t get to play that much,” Nichols said. “Just excitement,” he says over the feeling of winning the game and knowing the team is headed to state next. “Just seeing our team go from where we started to now going to state… All of our practices, players, and just everybody on the team. Our coaches do an amazing job. And even the players that don’t get the recognition of playing, they helped us so much.”

Junior Blaize Jung credited preparation for the rematch success. “We came in extra prepared. They beat us last time. We knew what we had to do, and that just set the tone of the game,” he said. Reflecting on the bigger picture: “Last year we had a rough loss against Elkhorn North. This year we knew we had to come back and come back better than ever.”

For junior Kale Lamberty, making state for the first time was electric. “Great. It’s amazing. It’s the first time for me, so I’m really excited,” he said. The moment the buzzer sounded at the end of the game was a moment he will always remember. “It was crazy; I couldn’t hear anything. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before.”

With the district champion plaque in hand, the Badgers now turn their focus to the state tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln next week. Olson outlined the plan ahead: “We’ll take a couple days to get healthy. I think we’re pretty wiped out and then we’ll… get some pre scouting in this week, get some practices in and the next week gear up for making a run. It’s a fun environment, but you also have to enjoy this for a day or two, then move on pretty quick because you have to get ready for another game.”

The players echoed that focus on preparation. Nichols stressed a focus on “good practices day in and day out,” while Jung said the team would practice hard and enter ready to compete.

Bennington’s comeback victory not only ends Roncalli’s season but marks a strong finish to a campaign built on resilience, team unity, and timely execution- qualities that will be tested again on the state stage.

The Bennington Dance Team traveled to perform at half-time, coming off recent 3rd & 5th place performances at State.