With the beginning of the 2025 winter postseason action beginning this weekend, the teams in the North Central Activities Association are busy preparing for the home stretch of their basketball and wrestling seasons.
The NCAA teams, minus Sacred Heart which does not compete in wrestling, will see their girls’ wrestilng teams compete in different regional tournaments around the area. The NCAA boys’ wrestling teams will wait a week for their regional competitions while the NCAA basketball teams are working on fine-turning things and are looking to finish off the 2024-25 winter regular season.
As the NCAA basketball season heads into the home stretch, the Southeast of Saline Lady Trojans currently sit atop the NCAA standings with an 11-1, 6-4 record while the Ellsworth Lady Bearcats are currently 2nd with a 10-4, 4-2 record. The Sacred Heart Lady Knights are currently in 4th place with a 7-9, 4-4 record.
On the NCAA boys’ side, the Sacred Heart Knights sit atop the standings as the lone NCAA basketball team still protecting an undefeated record with a 15-0, 7-0 record. The Beloit Trojans sit in 2nd place in the NCAA boys’ standings with an 11-4, 6-1 record while Southeast of Saline sits in 3rd place with a 7-8, 4-3 record.
Here is a look at what each NCAA team did this past week:
BELOIT
The Lady Trojan basketball team defeated Republic County 49-35 on Tuesday. The Lady Trojans lost 54-43 against Phillipsburg on Thursday. … The Trojan boys’ basketball team defeated Republic County 62-32 on Tuesday. The Trojans defeated Phillipsburg 68-37 on Thursday. … The Lady Trojan wrestling team won the NCAA tournament with 118.0 points on Thursday in Minneapolis. The Lady Trojans finished in 14th place with 36.0 points on Friday in the Phillipsburg tournament. … The Trojan boys’ wrestling team finished in 2nd place with 132.5 points in the NCAA tournament on Thursday in Minneapolis. The Trojans finished in 5th place with 70.5 points on Saturday in the Phillipsburg tournament.
ELLSWORTH
The Bearcat boys’ basketball team lost 43-30 against Lyons on Tuesday. … The Lady Bearcat wrestling team finished 2nd with 113.5 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament at Minneapolis. The Lady Bearcats finished in 15th place with 35.0 points on Friday in the Phillipsburg tournament. … The Bearcat boys’ wrestling team finished in 4th place with 115.0 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament in Minneapolis. The Bearcats finished in 6th place with 65.5 points on Saturday in the Phillipsburg tournament.
MINNEAPOLIS
The Lady Lion basketball team lost 54-47 against Sacred Heart on Friday. … The Lion boys’ basketball team lost 56-38 against Sacred Heart on Friday. … The Lady Lion wrestling team finished 5th with 53.0 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament at Minneapolis. The Lady Lions finished in 13th place with 39.0 points in the Phillipsburg tournament on Friday. … The Lion boys’ wrestling team finished in 6th with 63.5 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament in Minneapolis. The Lions finished in 13th place with 18.0 points on Saturday in the Phillipsburg tournament.
REPUBLIC COUNTY
The Lady Buff basketball team lost 49-35 against Beloit on Tuesday. The Lady Buffs lost 47-42 against Washington County on Thursday. The Lady Buffs defeated Lyons 45-41 on Friday. … The Buff boys’ basketball team lost 62-32 against Beloit on Tuesday. The Buffs defeated Washington County 50-48 on Thursday. The Buffs lost 64-50 against Lyons on Friday. … The Lady Buff wrestling team finished in 4th place with 65.0 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament at Minneapolis. … The Buff boys’ wrestling team finished in 5th place with 107.0 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament in Minneapolis.
SACRED HEART
The Lady Knight basketball team lost 50-43 against Southeast of Saline on Tuesday. The Lady Knights lost 55-45 against Hays Thomas More Prep on Thursday. The Lady Knights defeated Minneapolis 54-47 on Friday. … The Knight boys’ basketball team defeated Southeast of Saline 54-43 on Tuesday. The Knights defeated Hays Thomas More Prep 68-53 on Thursday. The Knights defeated Minneapolis 56-38 on Friday.
SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
The Lady Trojan basketball team defeated Sacred Heart 50-43 on Tuesday. … The Trojan boys’ basketball team lost 54-43 against Sacred Heart on Tuesday. … The Lady Trojan wrestling team finished 6th with 60.5 points in the NCAA tournament at Minneapolis on Thursday. The Lady Trojans finished in 4th place with 47.0 points in the Onaga tournament on Friday. The Lady Trojans finished in 14th with 52.0 points on Saturday in the Silver Lake tournament. … The Trojan boys’ wrestling team finished 3rd with 122.0 points on Thursday in the NCAA tournament at Minneapolis. The Trojans went 5-1 and finished in 2nd place in the Onaga dual tournament on Friday. The Trojans defeated Onaga 54-18, Marion 66-11, Ellinwood 55-12 and Nemaha Central 54-22 before losing 51-30 against Hill City in the championship match. The Trojans finished in 4th place with 145.0 points on Saturday in the Silver Lake tournament.
2024-25 NCAA Girls Basketball Standings
NCAA Overall
Team W L W L
SE of Saline 6 1 11 4
Ellsworth 4 2 10 4
Beloit 4 3 8 7
Sacred Heart 4 4 7 8
Minneapolis 4 3 9 5
Republic County0 8 4 13
Tuesday, February 4
SE of Saline 50, Sacred Heart 43
Beloit 49, Republic County 35
Thursday, February 6
Phillipsburg 54, Beloit 43
Hays TMP 55, Sacred Heart 45
Washington 47, Republic County 42
Friday, February 7
Sacred Heart 54, Minneapolis 47
Republic County 45, Lyons 41
2024-25 NCAA Boys Basketball Standings
NCAA Overall
Team W L W L
Sacred Heart 7 0 15 0
Beloit 6 1 11 4
SE of Saline 4 3 7 8
Ellsworth 2 4 5 10
Minneapolis 2 5 4 11
Republic County0 8 3 14
Tuesday, February 4
Sacred Heart 54, SE of Saline 43
Beloit 62, Republic County 32
Lyons 43, Ellsworth 40
Thursday, February 6
Beloit 68, Phillipsburg 37
Sacred Heart 68, Hays TMP 53
Republic County 50, Washington 48
Friday, February 7
Sacred Heart 56, Minneapolis 38
Lyons 64, Republic County 50
