Elkhorn North’s Britt Prince joins select company as a four-time member of the All-Nebraska team.
Only Katie Robinette of South Sioux City and Jess Shepard of Lincoln Southeast and Fremont also accomplished that.
Prince, the honorary captain for the second straight year, led the state in scoring at 27 points per game and helped the Wolves capture their fourth straight Class B title.
The 5-foot-11 senior also put an end to the speculation about her college destination. After offers from 35 Division I programs, she signed with Nebraska.
“It was a really special season in so many ways,” said Ann Prince, Britt’s mom and the Wolves’ coach. “The most important thing to Britt was to help her team win.”
Prince is the only returning first-team selection. She was the lone underclassman on last year’s team that included four seniors — three from Millard South.
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Joining her on the team are Millard West’s Neleigh Gessert, Lincoln Northeast’s Doneelah Washington, Omaha Central’s Inia Jones and Bellevue West’s Naomi White.
Nominations of coaches and observations of The World-Herald sports staff determine the All-Nebraska and all-class teams.
BRITT PRINCE
Captain • Elkhorn North • 5-11 • Senior • 26.8
The state’s Gatorade player of the year came back stronger than ever after a foot injury during the 2023 Class B final. That sidelined her for track last year and cross country this year, but she was 100% healthy for basketball season.
To prove it, she scored a program-record 42 points in a season-opening win over Platteview and later tied that mark in a victory over Omaha Skutt. She finished her career with 2,491 points, a Class B record and second all time behind Chambers’ Darcy Stracke (2,752).
Prince averaged 24 points in three state tourney games, including a 33-point effort in a first-round win over Scottsbluff.
“To win four championships in four years is really quite an accomplishment,” Ann Prince said. “Winning that fourth one was super special and something very rare.”
In the Class B final against Skutt, Prince had 17 and 12 rebounds.
Ann Prince said her daughter improved in two key areas as a senior.
“She was stronger and her court vision was better,” the coach said. “She made the right reads and did a great job of finding her open teammates.”
Teaming with childhood friend McKenna Murphy, Prince finished her varsity career as one of the all-time best. She led Class B in almost every category on offense and averaged almost 25 points per game for her four-year career.
“The most important thing with Britt was that she helped her team win,” Ann Prince said. “What we accomplished in four years is a tribute to every player we’ve ever had here.”
In Britt’s words: “I think the journey getting there is what I’ll remember from this season. We knew we had a good team, but we went through a lot of adversity and really had to bond together.”
NELEIGH GESSERT
Millard West • 6-1 • Junior • 18.6
Along with twin sister Norah, Neleigh helped propel Millard West to new heights.
The Wildcats finished 27-1 and won the program’s first Class A title. Neleigh led the way, averaging 18.6 points.
“She probably had the best season of any Wildcat in history,” Millard West coach Marc Kruger said. “She broke the school’s single-season scoring record, but that was only part of it.”
Kruger said Gessert, who is on pace to become the program’s career scoring leader, showed tremendous improvement from her sophomore to junior year.
“She took a huge leap, and that came about through a lot of hard work,” he said. “It felt like she became a much more efficient scorer.”
And Gessert was at her best in the biggest games, her coach said. She scored 30 during a win in the Metro holiday tournament final over Omaha Central and 29 against Bellevue West in the Class A final.
“In the biggest moments, that’s when she showed what she could do the most,” he said. “That was with other teams always doing their best to deny her the ball.”
She was instrumental in Millard West taking home that first title. Gessert sank three consecutive 3-pointers against the Thunderbirds, paring their lead from 12 to three.
Gessert, who recently committed to Creighton along with her sister, also became a better 3-point shooter as a junior.
“She extended her range, and that stretched the defense,” Kruger said. “She’s 6-foot-1 and strong, so she also was able to play inside.”
The coach said Gessert’s contributions to that first state title will be remembered.
“There were times when she just put the team on her back,” he said. “It will be great having her back next season, and I know she’s going to go on and do big things at the college level.”
In Neleigh’s words: “State was obviously really cool but just the way we all played together and had a lot of fun. Being the first to win a state title for our school and something we worked toward all season.”
DONEELAH WASHINGTON
Lincoln Northeast • 6-0 • Senior • 21.6
It’s rare when one player leads Class A in scoring and rebounding, but Washington achieved that.
The Illinois State commit averaged 21.6 points and 13.3 rebounds while stamping her name in the Rocket record book. She set marks for season and career rebounds and for double-doubles.
She also set a program record with 43 points against Gretna.
“The thing I’ll remember most is her consistency,” Northeast coach Matt VanEngen said. “I almost took it for granted that she was going to give us 21 points and 13 rebounds every game.
“She had the ability to do things on the court and do them so effortlessly. Her ability to play both inside and outside gave us a lot of flexibility.”
Washington was so solid on offense, the coach said, that it was easy to forget about her defense.
“Her aggressiveness went to another level this year. She always had good instincts and she put up big numbers in both blocks and steals.”
Washington also competes in volleyball and track. Her track events are shot put and discus and the occasional relay.
“I think the fact she also takes part in those other sports says a lot about her,” VanEngen said. “She’s also done really well in the classroom.”
The lone disappointment was that the Rockets didn’t reach state, despite going 18-7.
“That was ultra painful because we primarily played six seniors,” he said. “I know Doneelah did everything she could to try to help us get there.”
In Doneelah’s words: “Even though we didn’t make it to state, I remember we had a great win over Millard North (75-71 in overtime). There was ice and water being thrown all around the locker room.”
INIA JONES
Omaha Central • 5-6 • Senior • 18.5
A four-year starter for Central, the 5-6 Jones had a big senior year.
She averaged 18.5 points to help the Eagles reach state for the 14th time. Central lost to eventual champ Millard West in the first round, but that doesn’t diminish what Jones achieved during her career.
And coach Mike Kroupa said he was just happy to get the chance to coach her.
“She has done so many amazing things here,” he said. “I think she belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Central’s girls basketball players.”
That’s saying something, coming from the school that produced Maurtice Ivy (1,926 career points) and Jessica Haynes (552 points in one season).
Jones averaged 12.6 points as a freshman and 9.4 as a sophomore. That grew to 18.8 last season, which included a school-record 43 against Millard South.
The Eagles missed state last year but Jones helped make sure that didn’t happen again. In a must-win district final at Millard North, she scored a team-high 18 points in a 62-56 victory.
“She wasn’t going to let us lose,” Kroupa said. “Even though she was double teamed, Inia found a way to score and help us reach state.”
The coach also said Jones took more of a leadership role.
“She was more vocal, and we needed that,” he said. “She just had more of a level of maturity, and I think the team fed off of that.”
Next stop for Jones is Bradley. Kroupa said he has no doubt she’ll make a contribution.
“She’s going to fit in great there,” he said. “They like to push the ball, and that’s a big part of Inia’s game.”
In Inia’s words: “Getting to state again made us all feel good. We knew we had to win that (district final) game and we refused to give up.”
NAOMI WHITE
Bellevue West • 5-10 • Senior • 17.9
White was a welcome addition at Bellevue West after her military family moved from Kansas before her junior year.
The Grand Canyon University commit averaged 17.3 points and 8.4 rebounds last season, when the Thunderbirds finished 22-6 and lost to eventual champion Millard South in the state semifinal.
That setback became incentive.
White was part of a strong senior class this year, though Bellevue West started 6-6. Then everything came together.
White, who was slowed by injury early, came on strong after those 12 games. The T-Birds won their next 14 before losing to Millard West in the Class A final.
“Naomi was fantastic,” coach Dane Bacon said. “We’ve always been able to rely on her the past two years to score in double figures.”
The 5-10 guard averaged 17.9 points and was second on the team in rebounds (6.9 per game). She led Class A in free-throw percentage (.900) and was third in 3-point percentage (.440).
Bacon said White was a tough matchup for opponents.
“Naomi was a physical 2 guard,” he said. “She took off as a playmaker this year and the kids relied on her a lot.”
The Thunderbird senior class also included starters Kenzie Melcher (11.8 ppg), Ahnica Russell-Brown (11.4) and Dani Coyer (8.6).
“This class has been great,” Bacon said. “A lot of people might have given up on the season when we were 6-6 but that senior group got us turned around.”
The coach said White’s military background will serve her well in college.
“She’s been able to adjust when her family has moved, and I think that will be a strength for her,” Bacon said. “She’s disciplined and a grinder out on the court, so that also should be a positive.”
In Naomi’s words: “I’ll remember that we proved a lot of people wrong. We started out bad but fought through that and got to the championship game, which a lot of people can’t say.”
Kennadi Williams, Lincoln Southwest, 5-4, Sr., 16.5
McKenna Murphy, Elkhorn North, 5-11, Sr., 18.8
Molly Ladwig, Omaha Skutt, 5-9, Jr., 17.6
Olivia Loomis-Goltl, Bridgeport, 5-11, Sr., 22.4
Halle Dolliver, Malcolm, 5-10, So., 23.0
Kenadee Ailes, Lincoln Christian, 6-1, Jr., 18.6
Peyton McCabe, Omaha Skutt, 5-6, Sr., 13.3
Josilyn Miller, Niobrara/Verdigre, 5-9, Sr., 25.5
Rease Murtaugh, Papillion-La Vista, 5-7, Jr., 19.8
Chloe Hanel, Clarkson-Leigh, 5-11, Sr., 20.2
Photos: All-Nebraska basketball teams through the years