LINCOLN, Neb. - Fourth-seeded Hasting's St. Cecilia knocked off fifth-seeded Elmwood-Murdock 49-37 Wednesday morning in the opening round of the state tournament in Class D-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

The Knights (21-6) trailed 10-6 after the opening quarter, coming back from a 10-1 deficit behind a Delaney Frahm 3-pointer and a layup by Brooklyn Mans. 

But E-M had no answer for Ryann Sabatka in the second quarter as the St. Cecilia junior chipped in 11 points. 

Sabatka was relentess on the offensive and defensive glass, securing nearly every rebound for the Bluehawks while consistently getting deep post position on offense.

The 5-foot-11 forward hit a dagger of a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left before the half to give St. Cecilia a 24-13 lead after E-M cut the lead to six. 

The Bluehawks (18-7) leading scorer Avery Kissinger was held scoreless in the first half, but the 5-foot-6 freshman got loose in the second half for 10 points including two deep three-balls. 

A Tatum Krikac 3-pointer gave St. Cecilia its largest lead at 39-21 at the end of the third, and it held on from there to advance to a second round matchup with No. 1 Ravenna on Friday. 

Tatum Backemeyer led the Knights with 11 points while Sabatka finished with a game-high 16 for the Bluehawks. 

St. Cecilia has made four straight appearances in the state finals, securing three titles in Class C-2 including last season, before dropping to D-1 this year.

Box Score:

Elmwood-Murdock (21-6): 6, 7, 8, 16 - 37

Hastings St. Cecilia (18-7): 10, 14, 15, 10 - 49