NORFOLK - Norfolk Catholic's return to Lincoln didn't have to wait long, as the Knights make their second straight trip to the state tournament after beating Cross County 44-30 in Monday night's District Final.

Norfolk Catholic was the 7th seed in the District Final, while Cross County was the 10th seed, allowing the Knights to host the contest.

When the game began, both the Knights and the Cougars focused on their respective defenses.

Cross County and Norfolk Catholic traded early leads, but the Knight's held the slight advantage at the end of the first quarter 9-7.

Both teams continued to battle, but it was again the Knights who led at the break 15-13 after a Nolan Fennessy steal and score with under 30 seconds in the half.

The steal and score may have been the turning point that the Knights needed, as the game plan in the second half was to feed the post relentlessly to Kade Pieper and Nolan Fennessy.

Norfolk Catholic also felt a spark from Kade Pieper, who was in the passing lane all night long, disrupting Cross County seemingly every possession.

The Knights led 31-21 heading into the final quarter, where the Cougars tried to make a late rally behind Tanner Hollinger's 15 points. However, it wasn't enough as Norfolk Catholic pulled away for a 14-point win, 44-30.

Nolan Fennessy led Norfolk Catholic in scoring with 15 points, along with 7 rebounds. Kade Pieper racked up a 13 point, 12 rebound double-double and Karter Kerkman added 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Cross County was led by Tanner Hollinger, who scored 15 points with 7 rebounds. Hayden Allen scored 9 points off of three three-pointers in the Cougars loss.

Norfolk Catholic makes its return to state, where they lost to Humphrey St Francis 42-40 in the semi-final, but defeated Amherst 57-39 for a third place finish.

The entire C2 bracket for the 2023 state tournament has yet to be released.