Not only did Lempka dominate the statistics offensively, but he also had a solid game defensively, Motz said. Lempka keys Sterling’s full-court press as the man on the ball on the inbounds passes.
“We’re asking a lot of him,” Motz said. “He’s playing 94 feet every possession. He’s got to work. It’s not easy for him.”
An Omaha television station was in Sterling doing a feature on Motz, a former Creighton University standout, but he wasn’t unhappy about sharing the spotlight with his sophomore.  Motz said the Jets need Lempka to play well.
“As he goes, we go,” Motz said. “He’s playing at another level than he was a month or two ago. He’s really stepped up. He’s taken on some leadership, some ownership, right now, and he’s only a sophomore.”
After leading 30-18 at halftime, Sterling truly took control of the game in the third quarter.
Meridian scored the period’s first bucket, but didn’t find the rim again as the Jets went on a 21-0 run.  “I told the kids at halftime we came out the first four minutes of the game and played well, but then we got lackadaisical,” Motz said. “That’s been our M.O. all year. We get back on our heels.”
Motz said the Jets came out strong in the third quarter, setting the tone defensively.  “The kids were flying around in our press,” Motz said.  Sterling’s other players also play key roles in helping free up Lempka offensively.  “We had some kids hit some shots and we got a lot of rebounds tonight,” Motz said. “We’re getting contributions from a lot of people.”
Meridian coach Josh Hood said Sterling has a “nice team.”  “We were able to stay with them for a while, but we made some little mistakes which gave them opportunities,” Hood said.
In the third quarter, Hood said Sterling made some adjustments, turning up the pressure on the Mustangs.  “They got the backdoor going for them and we weren’t executing well at all,” Hood said. “We didn’t adjust to it.”
Lempka is a tough match-up for any team, Hood said.  “We knew he’d get some points,” Hood said. “We needed to contain his support and unfortunately we didn’t do that.”
The game’s scoring opened with Jake Saathoff scoring from the field for Sterling and Andrew Rohr answering for Meridian.  But then Sterling took control.  D.J. Thiel hit two free throws and Lempka scored three straight field goals, the second off an offensive putback and the third off a steal.  The Jets’ Brandon Nieveen capped the run with a field goal, putting Sterling up 12-2 with 5:17 left in the first quarter.  Josh Aude scored from the field for Meridian, but Lempka answered with a two-pointer for Sterling and William Wirthele hit a single charity toss for the Jets.  After a field goal by Meridian’s Reid VanWesten, Devin Heusman scored back-to-back field goals for the Jets.  VanWesten ended the first-quarter scoring, hitting a two-pointer for the Mustangs, but leaving Sterling up 19-8.
Meridian fought back into the game early in the second period.  VanWesten hit a two, which Sterling’s Wade Hunt answered with two free throws.  Buckets by Dylon Knudson and Brian Heiserman then pulled the Mustangs within seven points, 21-14, with 4:05 left in the quartet.  
Lempka helped swing the momentum back in Sterling’s favor with a pair of two-point goals.  
A two-pointer by VanWesten was answered by Lempka.  Another VanWesten field goal was also answered by Sterling as William Wirthele hit a two-pointer and then scored a single charity toss.
At halftime, Sterling led 30-18.
Things looked promising for the Mustangs as they opened the third-quarter scoring with a field goal by Andrew Rohr, but they quickly changed as Lempka took over for Sterling.  The Jet sophomore scored 10 points, all from the field, in the next 1:35.  Steals by Sterling off their pressure defense set up Lempka’s scoring flurry.  On his final two field goals, the sophomore took the ball away from Meridian himself on the inbounds pass and turned the steals into points.  Following Lempka’s lead, Sterling continued its run through the end of the quarter.  Saathoff hit a field goal, Lempka sank two free throws after a technical foul was called on the Meridian bench, William Wirthele hit two two-pointers, Thiel scored from the field and Franklin Boyer-Sears connected on a single charity toss.  By the time the quarter had ended, the Jets had outscored the Mustangs 21-2 and held a 51-20 lead.
Sterling built on its advantage early in the fourth quarter.  Lempka hit a two-pointer, which VanWesten answered with a two for Meridian.  A bucket by Saathoff and a single charity toss by Jese Salberg increased the Jets’ lead to 56-22.  After a field goal by Meridian’s Jonah Jordening, Salberg and VanWesten exchanged free throws for the two squads.  With 5:46 left in the game, Sterling led 57-25.  Meridian scored the next three points on a field goal by Jordening and a single charity toss by Dustin Rohr.  William Wirthele hit a two-pointer for the Jets, which Dustin Rohr answered for the Mustangs.  The game’s next five points belonged to Sterling as Hunt hit a single free throw and Kyle Lowmack scored back-to-back field goals.  With 3:42 showing on the game clock, Sterling led 64-30.  Meridian’s Aude scored from the field, but Jacob Wirthele answered for the Jets for a 66-32 advantage.  The Mustangs then scored five straight points on a bucket by Aude, a free throw by Jordening and a field goal by Heiserman.  Sterling’s Dalton Dreeson scored from the field for the Jets.  The final points of the game belonged to the Mustangs as Heiserman connected on a two-pointer and then hit two free throws.
Scoring in double figures for Sterling, along with Lempka, was William Wirthele with 10 points.
Meridian was led in scoring by VanWesten with 13 points.

Next action for Sterling, 12-6, will be tonight (Friday) at Stella-Southeast Consolidated.