JOHNSON, Neb. - No. 2 Pawnee City and No. 1 Johnson-Brock were both on a mission Tuesday night and would not be denied as each team dominated the opposition in the semifinals of the D1-1 subdistrict at Johnson-Brock.

The Eagles and Indians will meet Thursday in the championship game at 7 p.m. for a spot in the district final.

No. 2 Pawnee City 73, No. 3 Weeping Water 48

Weeping Water held tough for the opening quarter behind a couple 3-pointers from Riggs Wilson on the games first possession and Sayler Rhodes just before the first quarter buzzer sounded as Pawnee City led 19-10. But turnovers were the issue for Weeping Water. It had 11 in the first half alone, nearly all of which turned into points the other way.

Anthony Kling and Jett Farwell--Pawnee City's top two scorers--each had multiple runout opportunities off those Weeping Water turnovers. Pawnee City turned the ball over a ton as well, but the difference was its defense kept Weeping Water from scoring off its own turnovers.

Weeping Water (3-19) settled for far too many deep contested 3-pointers while Pawnee City attacked inside out, getting to the rim off dribble penetration for lay ins and floaters or spraying the ball out to open shooters around the arc. 

In total, PC hit eight treys in the game including four in a row to open the second half, pushing its 38-18 halftime lead to 50-22. 

Meanwhile, Wilson and Rhodes continued to carry Weeping Water on the offensive end. Wilson knocked in two more of his game-high five 3-pointers while Rhodes scored eight points all at the rim on drives to the hoop. 

But Pawnee City (13-9) had far more scoring options and continued to pull away, leading by double digits for three out of four quarters. PC had three in double figures with Kling (17) and Farwell (25) combining for 42 points. Joseph Marteney added 12 points, too, while Drew Menninga splashed three 3-pointers. 

Wilson--the junior guard--took a high volume of shots but finished with a team-high 17 and Rhodes chipped in 11 in Weeping Water's final game of the season. 

Box Score:

Weeping Water (3-19): 10, 8, 13, 17 - 48

Pawnee City (13-9): 19, 19, 23, 12 - 73

No. 1 Johnson-Brock 73, No. 4 Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer 37

The top-seeded Eagles were on a mission from the opening tip, determined to not be ousted by the very HTRS team that knockedd them out of the postseason exactly one year ago. Johnson-Brock received a number of contributions from its usual starters, but the surprise was freshman guard Brody Koehler off the bench.

Koehler started 4-4 from distance including a four-point play as JB opened up a 44-20 halftime lead. 

But the freshman sensation wasn't done. His third 3-pointer of the third quarter tied the Eagles single-game record for made 3s with seven. He tied Cole Fossenbarger who accomplished the feat on Jan. 31, 2019 against Tri County.

Four other Eagle players have also hit seven 3-pointers in a game prior to Fossenbarger. 

In total, the Eagles (20-4) hit 10 3-pointers in the game between four different players. Brogan Dunlap of HTRS did what he could for a second straight night on offense, scoring a team-high 15 points, but nine of them came from the foul line as Johnson-Brock's suffocating, in-your-face defense made life difficult on each possession. 

No other player could manage more than six points for the Titans (4-18) in their final game of the season. 

Johnson-Brock got out to a 14-2 start just minutes in to the first quarter and never looked back as in the end, the only drama was if Koehler would break the record for made 3-pointers. Coach Lucus Dalinghaus gave Koehler a chance halfway through the fourth to make history, but the freshman missed his final three attempts. 

Koehler led all scorers with 22 points while Camden Dalinghaus had 15 and Sloan Pelican had 13. The win was No. 20 of the season for the Eagles which is the sixth most single season wins in school history. 

Box Score:

HTRS (4-19): 9, 11, 8, 9 - 37

Johnson-Brock (20-4): 21, 23, 16, 13 - 73