Two dominant guards in Rease Murtaugh and Himayajo Metoyer are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Papillion-LaVista Monarchs will venture away from home to take on the Omaha Westside Warriors at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Papillion-LaVista is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.2 points per game this season.
Papillion-LaVista is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest loss since December 16, 2023 on Friday. They were beaten by Pius X 69-42. While losing is never fun, the Monarchs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 68th, while the Thunderbolts are ranked fifth).
| 01/17/25 @ Pius X | 2 |
| 01/14/25 vs Lincoln North Star | 2 |
| 01/10/25 vs Papillion-LaVista South | 2 |
| 01/07/25 @ Millard North | 3 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Jayda Richardson, who posted 16 points. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Taliyah Jackson was another key player, putting up 13 points and three steals.
Meanwhile, Omaha Westside entered their game against Millard North on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Omaha Westside fell just short of Millard North by a score of 47-45. The matchup marked the Warriors' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Despite the defeat, Omaha Westside saw an underclassman step up: freshman Metoyer had 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Metoyer continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kimora Jenkins, who scored 15 points.
Omaha Westside's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-5. As for Papillion-LaVista, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Papillion-LaVista hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 59.2 points per game. However, it's not like Omaha Westside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 57.4 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Papillion-LaVista strolled past Omaha Westside when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a score of 70-56. The rematch might be a little tougher for Papillion-LaVista since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
