ALBION — It had been almost 20 years since a Laurel-Concord boys basketball team had made it to state, and the Bears would need a big effort against a talented Anselmo-Merna team if it was going to end that state tournament dry spell.
The Bears turned to one of their senior leaders, who not only had a big night, but made a little history in the process.
Noah Schutte scored a game-high 37 points and became only the second player in Nebraska high school history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career to help the third-ranked Bears pull away for a 63-37 win Tuesday in the D1-3 district final at Boone Central High School and earn a trip to next week’s Class D-1 state tournament.
Schutte joined Bob Siegel of Fairbury (1973) as the only 2,000-1,000 club members in state history when he hit his first shot of the second half, a 3-pointer that gave LCC a 42-20 lead and quashed any hopes of a Coyote comeback.
LCC came out hot in the early going and built a nine-point lead after one quarter, extending it to 19 by the half at 39-20.
The Bears hit 50 percent from the field and easily advanced to the state tournament, which begins next Thursday, March 12, in Lincoln.
