The Lincoln North Star girls basketball team has Made History this Season

For the team, stated by head coach Tommy Johnson, their main goal was to finish what they had started, as they have come so close in the past few years in the state tournament. “Knowing it was the last dance for our seniors who changed the program while getting so close the last few years, we wanted to go out on top.”

The Gators entered the tournament as the number 1 overall seed and were hot from the beginning of the tournament. North Star opened with a 43-32 win over Millard North, then a 46-31 semifinal win over Millard West. In the championship game at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Gators defeated Omaha North 51-35 to claim the historic title. 

Senior Ani Leu led the Gators to the title with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals, while fellow senior Kendall Anderson added 14 points. It was a great way to wrap up years of work for Anderson.

“Bringing home a state championship with Ani is a dream come true,” Anderson said. “Ever since we were little, we would go to state games and watch different teams bring home a state title. To be able to say we did that is amazing.”

Coach Johnson also talked about how far the senior leaders on the team had come through their four years at North Star. Many of them were put into important roles early on in their careers and helped take the team to new levels over the last four years. 

The success of the team was also made possible by help from younger teammates who were put into important roles throughout the season. Johnson said that the chemist on the team was the biggest reason for their success.

“Our biggest strength was that we played as ONE. This team loves each other.”

When the final buzzer sounded in the championship game, the Gators had accomplished something no other team in school history has done, bringing home a state championship trophy to Lincoln North Star.

For the seniors on this team, which has built this program over the last four years, it was a perfect way to end their careers.