Bulldogs Claim District Title on Dramatic Buzzer-Beater

In a game that will be remembered for years in Kearney High School history, senior guard Brooke Paalhar drained a three-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the top-seeded Bulldogs to a 44–41 victory over the Lincoln College Prep Blue Tigers in the Class 5 District 8 Championship on Friday, March 6, 2026.

The Bulldogs' path to the trophy was anything but easy. Early in the contest, Lincoln College Prep’s defensive pressure frustrated Kearney, leading to a 10-point deficit for the home team. However, the Bulldogs chipped away throughout the second half. Senior Maggie Lakin provided a crucial spark in the paint, while senior Morgan Pennington drained an unexpected and dramatic 3-point shot right before halftime. Senior Kennedi Casey helped anchor a defense that held the Blue Tigers to just 13 points in the final two quarters.

With the game tied at 41-41 in the closing seconds, Kearney executed a final play from Casey to Lakin who found Paalhar at the arc. The senior, who had surpassed the 1,000-career-point milestone just weeks earlier, launched a deep three that found nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.

This victory secures Kearney’s first district championship in six years and brings their season record to 19–10.

The Bulldogs are set to face the Grandview Bulldogs (21–5) in the MSHSAA Class 5 State Quarterfinals on Friday, March 13, 2026.  The game is scheduled for a 6 pm tip-off at Belton High School, 801 W. North Ave. in Belton. This high-stakes "Battle of the Bulldogs" will determine who advances to the State Semifinals at the MSHSAA Championships in Columbia.

Kearney and Grandview are very familiar with each other, having already played twice during the 2025–26 regular season. The series is currently split 1–1. Kearney won a close defensive battle, 49–45, at home on January 30, and Grandview evened the score with a decisive 56–38 victory on their home court on February 24.

KPGZ is set to broadcast the game live, beginning with pregame at 5:30 pm on 102.7FM, KearneyCountry.com and the KPGZ mobile app.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Bulldog Girls Dominate the Court in Home Opener

The Kearney Bulldog girls basketball team defeated the Shawnee Mission North Bison by a final score of 54–32 on Monday, Dec. 10. The Bulldogs scored first and never looked back in their home opener.

Brooke Paalhar scored 11 points on the night.

Kearney took a big lead in the first half and doubled the score at the end of the first and second quarters, 18–9 and 30–15, respectively.

The Bison defense didn't bother the Kearney girls. The Bulldogs were able to do a super job of taking care of the ball and executed on offense. Kearney did a great job playing a tough man to man defense throughout the game and handled anything Shawnee Mission threw at them, whether it was picking them up at half court or a full court 2-2-1 press.

Kearney showed a lot of depth during the game. Eight girls were able to play meaningful minutes throughout the night. They stayed with a man to man defense all night, and offensively found several open lanes for productive points.

The Kearney Bulldogs were led by Maggie Lakin with 16 points.

The Kearney Bulldogs were led by Maggie Lakin with 16 points. Brooke Paalhar had 11, Kennedi Casey added 8, Addie Taylor scored 9, Morgan Pennington had 3, Kayla wrestler scored 3, and Ryleigh Van Emmerik and Mallyrie Schwab-Wetzel both added 2 points.

Coach Resler was pleased with the team’s performance:

“They had no answer for Maggie early on so we just kept feeding her and if somebody else would have got hot we would do the same thing with them. Brooke hit a three…and then we ran that zone play when they switched to zone, [that got] her a wide open look, and unfortunately she missed it but she looked over and just kind of grinned because it was the most open look she had. So that's kind of what we do is try to feed the hand that's hot.”

The Bulldog girls are back in action at home on Tuesday, Dec. 17, as they play a double-header with the Bulldog boys against Grain Valley. KPGZ radio will carry the broadcast starting at 5 pm on 102.7FM and KearneyCountry.com.

KPGZ Sports – Brian Watts contributed to this story.