Basketball Game Preview: Bellevue West Thunderbirds vs. Omaha Westside Warriors

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Previous Games

12/13/24 - Neutral	70-75 L
01/02/24 - Neutral	80-60 W
12/21/23 - Away	78-66 W
03/10/23 - Neutral	74-41 W
02/18/23 - Away	80-78 W
+ 5 more games

Bellevue West has gone 8-2 against Omaha Westside recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. Having just played yesterday, the Thunderbirds will jump right back in to play the Warriors at 7:15 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

On Thursday, Bellevue West didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Papillion-LaVista, but they still walked away with a 68-62 win.

Bellevue West found their leader in sophomore Keaton Melcher, who shot 67% from the field on his way to 21 points. Another player making a difference was Amari Smith, who went 5-for-6 en route to 11 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Omaha Westside was able to grind out a solid victory over Lincoln East on Thursday, taking the game 80-72. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

Bellevue West better focus on containing London Dada and Emre Gedik as the pair were huge in Omaha Westside's win. Dada shot 58% from the field to rack up 31 points and seven boards, while Gedik almost dropped a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds. Gedik is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season. Will Preston was another key player, putting up six points and nine boards.

Omaha Westside smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Bellevue West now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Omaha Westside, their record is now 2-0.

Bellevue West came up short against Omaha Westside when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 75-70. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.