Basketball Recap: Bellevue West Extends Winning Streak to Three

Robert Garcia

Points

02/08/25 vs Kearney	24
02/06/25 vs Lincoln North Star	28
01/31/25 @ Millard West	24
01/28/25 vs Westview	24
01/24/25 @ Papillion-LaVista South	21
01/20/25 vs Northwest	18

Bellevue West won the last time they faced Kearney, and Robert Garcia did his part to make sure it happened again. The Bellevue West Thunderbirds took down the Kearney Bearcats 78-63 on Saturday thanks in part to Garcia, who dropped a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds. The matchup was his sixth in a row with at least 18 points.

Keaton Melcher was another key player, going 5 for 6 to rack up 14 points. That's the most points he has posted since back in December of 2024.

Kearney's loss came despite strong showings from Jacob Webber and Ben Johnson. Webber went 9 of 16 on his way to 23 points and three steals, while Johnson almost dropped a double-double with 16 points and nine assists. Webber has been hot for a while, having posted 15 or more points the last 12 times he's played. Another player making a difference was Tysen Cabela, who put up nine points.

The win (which was Bellevue West's third in a row) raised their record to 12-7. As for Kearney, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-5.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Bellevue West will challenge Lincoln Southwest at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Bellevue West's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season. As for Kearney, a feisty cat fight will be fought when the Bearcats take on the Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Kearney is facing Norfolk at the right time seeing as Norfolk is stuck on a 12-game losing streak.