Basketball Game Preview: Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks vs. Omaha Central Eagles

Lincoln Southwest hasn't had much luck against Omaha Central recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks will be playing in front of their home fans against the Omaha Central Eagles at 7:30 p.m. One thing working in Lincoln Southwest's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 12 matchups.

Last Thursday, Lincoln Southwest came up short against Omaha North and fell 80-70.

Makkiah Sanders

Points

02/13/25 @ Omaha North	30
02/11/25 vs Bellevue West	21
02/07/25 @ Millard West	28
02/04/25 vs Creighton Prep	21
01/30/25 @ Lincoln North Star	25
01/29/25 @ Kearney	25

Despite the defeat, Lincoln Southwest got top-tier performance from Makkiah Sanders, who went 10-for-16 en route to 30 points. The contest was Sanders' sixth in a row with at least 21 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Dakari Wilson, who went 5-for-11 to rack up 12 points and five boards.

Meanwhile, Omaha Central had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They blew past the Links 81-54.

Omaha Central's win came from a few key players Lincoln Southwest will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Lenox Haynes, who dropped a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Those 11 boards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ike Ackerman, who went 6-for-10 on his way to 18 points and seven rebounds.

Omaha Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Omaha Central's victory bumped their record up to 10-12. As for Lincoln Southwest, their loss dropped their record down to 12-9.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lincoln Southwest has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Omaha Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Lincoln Southwest came up short against Omaha Central when the teams last played back in January of 2022, falling 57-51. Can Lincoln Southwest avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.