Preview: Bellevue West Thunderbirds vs. Millard North Mustangs
Bellevue West and Millard North are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The pair will face off at 6:15 p.m. on March 9th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bellevue West comes in on 24 and Millard North on 12.
Bellevue West had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They walked away with a 62-54 win over Omaha Central on Friday.
Bellevue West's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jacob Arop, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Arop has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Robby Garcia, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Millard North faced Omaha Westside in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Millard North sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 50-48 victory over Omaha Westside on Friday. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Millard North has scored all season.
Millard North got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Derek Rollins out in front who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds. Rollins has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last nine times he's played. Another player making a difference was Camden Monie, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds.
Bellevue West's victory bumped their record up to 26-1. As for Millard North, they are on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 23-2 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's contest: Bellevue West have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.6 threes per game. However, it's not like Millard North struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bellevue West came up short against Millard North in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 85-74. Can Bellevue West avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
