Basketball Game Preview: Bryan Bears vs. Bellevue East Chieftains

The Bryan Bears will take on the Bellevue East Chieftains at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bryan comes in still looking for their first win of the season.

On Tuesday, Bryan came up short against Fremont and fell 60-47. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 251st, while the Tigers are ranked 107th).

Despite their defeat, Bryan saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Deon Darnell, who went 5 of 11 en route to 14 points and seven boards, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Kaleb Kimble, who went 5 for 10 on his way to 15 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Bellevue East also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Omaha North by a score of 62-51. The Chieftains haven't had much luck with the Vikings recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.

Bryan will have to contain Kris Brown as he made an impact in Bellevue East's last game. He went 8 of 11 en route to 22 points. With that strong performance, Brown is now averaging an impressive 15.1 points per game. Trey Tolbert was another key player, putting up nine points and three steals.

Bryan's loss dropped their record down to 0-18. As for Bellevue East, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Bryan strolled past Bellevue East when the teams last played back in December of 2022 by a score of 65-51. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bellevue East's Ryan Lenear, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine boards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Bryan to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.