Pender Pendragons advances to state tournament

The Pender Pendragons boys basketball team is on its way to the 2026 Nebraska State Championship Tournament as the C2-6 Champions. That determination was made Monday evening after Pender defeated Kimball in Kimball in the district final.

Kimball arrived in the final after a heartbreaking last minute loss to Valentine last week. Still they had good performances from starters like Lincoln Behrend who put up 16 points on the night and folks that came off the bench like Kaymen Lusche who had 10 points.

Pender just had too many weapons like Zander Welch who has remained a threat for the Pendragons all season and Trevor Trimble who put up 24 points, mostly from under the basket, a place the longhorns have struggled all season.

Kimball will loose Ryker Behrend, Sam Anderson, Braxton Miller and Trevor Fuss to graduation this year.

Next up for Kimball, track. The track team begins practice tomorrow. Following a 2025 season with a record number of state participants, the longhorns have a large incoming freshman class, and are counting on the return of Trevor Fuss to build an even more successful season this year.