Basketball Game Preview: Millard West Wildcats vs. Bellevue East Chieftains

Millard West and Bellevue East are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2015, but not for long. The Millard West Wildcats will head out to face off against the Bellevue East Chieftains at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Bellevue East is hoping to do what Omaha North couldn't on Friday: put an end to Millard West's winning streak (dating back to last season), which now stands at 17 games. Millard West claimed a resounding 60-28 win over Omaha North. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 38-14.

Millard West's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kylee Paben, who went 10 of 15 on her way to 25 points and six rebounds, and Norah Gessert, who posted 14 points and seven rebounds. That's the most points Paben has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaelynn Moody, who had four points and five rebounds.

Millard West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in nine consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bellevue East, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. They strolled past Marian with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 62-47.

Millard West pushed their record up to 2-0 with the victory, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 28.8 points. As for Bellevue East, the win got them back to even at 1-1.

Millard West beat Bellevue East 61-52 in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Millard West since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.