If Kearney was feeling good fresh off their 68-48 takedown of Grand Island on Thursday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Bearcats were beaten by the Bellevue West Thunderbirds 62-35 on Saturday. While losing is never fun, the Bearcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked fifth).
Kearney lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Levi Johnson, who shot 50% from the field to rack up 16 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Gatdet, who posted six points.
Bellevue West's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Brayden Mauro, who earned 11 points and three steals. Mauro is also on a roll when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 43% in the last three games he's played. Tristian Gerez-James also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assist of the season.
Kearney's loss dropped their record down to 10-9. As for Bellevue West, they have been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Kearney will host Norfolk at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The Bearcats are facing the Panthers at the right time seeing as the Panthers are stuck on a six-game losing streak. As for Bellevue West, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Lincoln Southwest at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Thunderbirds' defense better be ready for this one: the Silver Hawks have averaged an impressive 74.7 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
