Bellevue East hasn't had much luck against Omaha Westside recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Bellevue East Chieftains will jump right back in to play the Omaha Westside Warriors at 8:30 a.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Bellevue East will bounce into Saturday's game after beating Omaha South, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Bellevue East walked away with a 64-57 victory over Omaha South on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Chieftains.
Bellevue East's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Joshua Jones, who went 5 for 7 on his way to 11 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Gore, who went 5 for 9 on his way to 11 points and six rebounds.
Bellevue East smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January.
Meanwhile, Omaha Westside put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed by Grand Island to the tune of 71-42. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked seventh, while the Islanders are ranked 163rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Omaha Westside's win came from a few key players Bellevue East will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tyson Odvody, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 17 boards. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 9 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Healy, who went 6 of 13 on his way to 15 points and five rebounds.
Bellevue East's record is now 2-4. As for Omaha Westside, their record is now 6-0.
Saturday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Kris Brown and Emre Gedik. Brown has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 15.8 points and 6.7 boards. For his part, Gedik has averaged 14.2 points, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Bellevue East was dealt a bruising 77-35 defeat at the hands of Omaha Westside in their previous matchup on December 5th. Can Bellevue East avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
