Bellevue West has gone a perfect 10-0 against Benson recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Bellevue West Thunderbirds just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Benson Bunnies at 7:15 p.m. Bellevue West knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 22 matchups -- so hopefully Benson likes a good challenge.
On Friday, Bellevue West humbled Fremont with an 80-48 victory. The victory continues a trend for the Thunderbirds in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won five in a row.
Robert Garcia
| 02/21/25 vs Fremont | 24 |
| 02/14/25 @ Bellevue East | 15 |
| 02/11/25 @ Lincoln Southwest | 29 |
| 02/08/25 vs Kearney | 24 |
| 02/06/25 vs Lincoln North Star | 28 |
| + 4 more games |
Robert Garcia was his usual excellent self, shooting 4-for-7 from deep and dropping a double-double with 24 points and ten rebounds. The game was his ninth in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Johnson Jr, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 14 assists.
Bellevue West was working as a unit and finished the game with 25 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Benson played a tough contest last Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Kearney and fell 83-55. The Bunnies haven't had much luck with the Bearcats recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Bellevue West will have to contain Goanar Bamach as he made an impact in Benson's last game. He went 8-for-16 to rack up 20 points along with six assists and six boards. That's the most assists Bamach has posted since back in January of 2024. J'Lee Chatmon-Flakes was another key player, putting up 13 points and eight assists.
Bellevue West pushed their record up to 15-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.0 points over those games. As for Benson, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Bellevue West has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Benson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Bellevue West against Benson in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, as the squad secured a 93-50 victory. In that matchup, Bellevue West amassed a halftime lead of 45-23, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Saturday.
