BOYS BASKETBALL: Gretna Holds Off Late Surge From North Star

LINCOLN–(KFOR Jan. 6)–Class A No. 2 Gretna was able to withstand a fourth-quarter rally from Lincoln North Star to hold on for a 72-68 win over the Gators Saturday at The Swamp.

It came down to the Dragons (9-2) to capitalizing on an 8-0 run to bounce back from a 60-58 deficit.  That included baskets from 6-2 senior guard Landon Pokorski, 6-3 senior forward Alec Wilkins and 6-0 senior guard Alex Wilcoxson.  Those points came off of five empty North Star possessions.

The Gators (4-4) stay within reach of the Dragons, after 6-5 freshman Jakeyce Fowler hit his fifth three-pointer to cut the deficit to 66-63 with 1:35 left in the game.  Gretna then got a basket from 6-7 senior forward Kade Cook, who drove the right baseline wide open to extend the lead back to five with 1:07 left.

KG Gatwech, North Star’s 6-5 senior forward, scored off a blocked Lazerek Houston three-point attempt with 42 seconds left to narrow the deficit to three.  Pokorski nailed two free throws with 22 seconds left to put Gretna back up by five before North Star freshman guard Jordan Castor hit a three-pointer with 15 seconds left, leaving the Gators down by two, 70-68.

Wilcoxson then sank two more free throws to seal the Dragon victory.

Gretna led 19-15 after the first quarter before taking off to a 36-28 halftime lead.  The Dragons led by as much as 47-34 early in the third quarter before the Gators bounced back to trim the deficit down to 56-50 going into the final quarter.

Cook led Gretna with 17 points, while Wilkins and Wilcoxson each added 16 points and Pokorski finished with 15.  Houston led North Star with a game-high 18 points, Fowler added 17 points, Castor scored 12 and Gatwech finished with 10 points.