After weathering an early storm, the Sabetha Bluejays turned defense, energy and unselfish play into a statement 55-45 win over Nemaha Central Thunder on Thursday, Feb. 26, in the opening round of sub-state at home.

The win sends Sabetha to the sub-state semifinals, where they would travel to face the Silver Lake Eagles on Tuesday, March 3.

Sabetha came out aggressive, with senior Reid Mitchell setting the tone early by jumping a passing lane and finishing the steal with a layup. Junior Micah Lang wasted no time going to work inside, spinning through traffic for an up-and-under finish. Lang faced constant double teams all night but calmly made the right reads, keeping the offense flowing.

Nemaha Central’s switch to a zone that slowed Sabetha early, and the Bluejays trailed 10-7 after one quarter. The second quarter featured strong execution, including a smooth pick-and-roll between senior Cole Menold and junior Holden Edelman, capped by an Edelman finish. Then, Menold showed his versatility by burying a corner three.

Sophomore Kyson Wertenberger played fearless basketball, attacking the baseline and finishing through contact. Lang added a pull-up jumper, an offensive rebound put-back, and a highlight dime to senior Charlie Lukert, who caught it mid-air and finished before hitting the floor.

Still, Nemaha Central seemed to hit timely threes, keeping a slim edge. Sabetha’s outside shots danced on the rim — until the final play of the half. Off a perfectly timed elevator screen, Wertenberger drained a buzzer-beating three to ignite the crowd and cut the deficit to 28-26 at halftime.

The third quarter belonged to Sabetha.

It started with a momentum-shifting monster block from junior Jack Frazee, sending a clear message. Lang continued to draw doubles but punished them with precision passes — finding Frazee inside and Wertenberger spotting up from deep. Mitchell knocked down a three in front of the student section, sending the blacked-out crowd into a frenzy.

Then, Frazee capitalized on a mismatch, finishing through contact and completing the three-point play to give Sabetha a 42-36 lead heading into the final quarter.

From there, it was Bluejay basketball at its best — patient, poised and together. Crisp ball movement led to a Wertenberger finish in the paint, strong takes from Lang and fearless drives by Lukert among the bigs. Clutch free throws from Frazee, Menold, Wertenberger and Lang sealed the deal.

Sabetha outscored Nemaha Central 29-17 in the second half to seal the 55-45 win.

Head Coach Josh Wertenberger praised his team’s composure.

“Proud of how we kept playing for 32 minutes and didn’t worry about the score,” he said. “We stayed composed against a team that executed well and hit shots. Our man defense was very focused and held them to 17 points in the second half.”

Wertenberger finished with 14 points, Frazee added 13 points and rebounds, and Lang filled the stat sheet with 9 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Looking ahead to Silver Lake — who last battled Sabetha in a double-overtime thriller — Jayton Meyer summed up the mindset.

“We’re going to keep the good vibes going in practice and make it even harder than the game,” Meyer said. “That way, we’ll be super ready when it’s game time.”