BROOKE PAALHAR HITS 1,000!

/

Brooke Paalhar Scored 1,000 Points in her High School Basketball Career and Etched Her Name in Record Books on Senior Night

It was a night of celebration and milestones at Kearney High School on Tuesday, February 17, as senior guard Brooke Paalhar surpassed the 1,000-point career mark. The achievement came in dramatic fashion during the Bulldogs’ "Senior Night" showdown against Excelsior Springs, a game in which the hometown Bulldogs dominated with a convincing 57-46 victory.

Brooke, who has been a mainstay of the Bulldogs' offense for four years, entered the contest nearly unaware of how close she was to the elite scoring threshold. “I had no idea until today,” she admitted in an interview with KPGZ 102.7 FM after being named the Intercept Fiber Player of the Game. She finished the night with 22 points, cementing her place in Kearney basketball history.

Brooke acknowledged her teammates and community as those who have helped her along the way, "I could definitely not have done this without them [my teammates]. All my credit goes to them because they got me to where I am."

The 1,000-point milestone is just the latest accolade for the multi-sport star, who has already signed to play softball for the University of Utah and recently broke school records with over 200 career hits on the diamond.

Brooke has been the engine for Kearney (14-9) this year, delivering consistent high-level performances:

  • Scoring: Averaging 16.1 points per game, with a season-high of 27 points against Van Horn.

  • Efficiency: Shooting an impressive 50% from the field.

  • Versatility: Leading the team with 5.3 assists and 2.9 steals per contest.

With the regular season winding down, the Bulldogs turn their attention to the Class 5 District 8 Tournament. Kearney enters as a formidable contender with the following final regular-season matchups:

  • Feb 20: vs. Smithville Warriors (Home) – 7:00 PM

  • Feb 24: at Grandview Bulldogs (Away) – 7:00 PM

  • Feb 26: vs. Winnetonka Griffins (Home) – 7:00 PM

  • March 2–6: District Tournament at Kearney High School

Bulldog fans can follow Brooke and the Bulldogs on their playoff journey by tuning into local game broadcasts on 102.7 FM KPGZ.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Bulldogs Crush Patriots after Extended Break

/

Eleven inches of snow fired up the Bulldog girls basketball team on Thursday, January 10. An extended winter break gave them the energy they needed to topple the Truman Patriots 64-23.

Ryleigh Van Emmerik scored 14 points on the night, including four 3-point shots.

The Bulldogs came out like a punch in the mouth with a pair of 3-point buckets by Brooke Paalhar and Ryleigh Van Emmerik. Truman’s Reagan Thomas answered back with a 3-point shot, but Paalhar, Van Emmerik and Maggie Lakin went on a 15-0 run to boost the Bulldogs’ lead. The first quarter came to an end quickly after a few points by Truman. The Bulldogs led, 21-9.

There was more of the same in the second quarter from Paalhar, Van Emmerik and Lakin. They ran up the score 36-13 with the help of Mallyrie Schwab-Wetzel, Jocelyn Lincoln, and Kennedi Casey.

“We prepared based on film a lot of 2-3 zone and they ran absolutely zero possessions of 2-3 zone,” said Coach Troy Resler after the game. “The positive is they ran a 3-2 [zone] which just changes our look on offense a little bit, but the concepts of getting paint touches, keeping the ball moving, all the keys we talked about, it's still there no matter what zone they ran.”

One of the keys to the Bulldogs’ offensive success was the constant ball movement and good defense leading to good offense. The Bulldogs were able to get good looks after skip-passes and playing in the zone.

Kearney dominated in the second half with offensive help from Addie Taylor, Morgan Pennington and Addi Smith. Ryleigh Van Emmerik and Kennedi Casey chipped in with big 3-point shots in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run and the defense held the Patriots to just 2 points in the quarter.

Kearney spread out the scoring: Brooke Paalhar led the Bulldogs with 20 points and Ryleigh Van Emmerik scored 14. Maggie Lakin and Kennedi Casey each made 8 points, Mallyrie Schwab-Wetzel scored 5, Jocelyn Lincoln had 3 and Addie Taylor, Addi Smith and Morgan Pennington each scored two.

This win brings the Bulldog girls’ record to 3-5 on the season.

The Bulldogs are back with boys and girls basketball all next week during the Kearney Classic basketball tournament. KPGZ will broadcast most of the games during the tournament. Watch KPGZ social media pages throughout the week for broadcast times.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.