Omaha Westside is on a four-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Bellevue West is on a 12-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Omaha Westside Warriors will be home for the holidays to greet the Bellevue West Thunderbirds at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Omaha Westside focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up ten on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Omaha Westside came up short against Lincoln Southeast and fell 58-51. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Omaha Westside has scored all season.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kevin Stubblefield, who scored 18 points. The match was his sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rickey Loftin, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Bellevue West has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 27 points or more this season. They breezed by Summit Christian Academy on the road to the tune of 83-45. That 83-45 margin sets a new team best for Bellevue West this season.
Bellevue West's win on Tuesday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jaden Jackson, who scored 19 points. Another player making a difference was Steven Poulicek, who scored 15 points.
Omaha Westside's loss dropped their record down to 5-1. As for Bellevue West, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-1.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's contest: Omaha Westside have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 7.7 threes per game. However, it's not like Bellevue West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.7 threes per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Omaha Westside was taken down by Bellevue West 74-41 in their previous meeting back in March. Thankfully for Omaha Westside, Josiah Dotzler (who scored 21 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
