Preview: Bellevue West Thunderbirds vs. Gretna Dragons
The Bellevue West Thunderbirds just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Gretna Dragons at 3:45 p.m. on February 17th. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bellevue West comes in on 19 and Gretna on nine.
Even though Papillion-LaVista South scored an imposing 76 points on Friday, Bellevue West still came out on top. Bellevue West snuck past Papillion-LaVista South with a 82-76 win. Given Bellevue West's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked first, while Papillion-LaVista South is ranked 31st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bellevue West's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jaden Jackson, who scored 22 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Jackson hasn't dropped below 16 points for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Robby Garcia, who scored 22 points along with seven rebounds.
In what's become a running theme this season, Gretna gave their fans yet another huge win on Thursday. They really took it to Bellevue East for the full four quarters, racking up a 73-41 win at home. Gretna pushed the score to 62-24 by the end of the third, a deficit Bellevue East cut but never quite recovered from.
Bellevue West's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.5 points per game. As for Gretna, their win bumped their record up to 18-4.
Bellevue West beat Gretna 58-47 in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bellevue 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
