Pius X hasn't had much luck against Bellevue West recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Pius X Thunderbolts just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Bellevue West Thunderbirds at 5:30 p.m. One thing working in Pius X's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.
On Friday, Pius X was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 69-63 to Skutt Catholic. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Thursday (59), the Thunderbolts still had to take the loss.
Meanwhile, after a string of 27 wins dating back to last season, Bellevue West's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 75-70 hit to the loss column at the hands of Omaha Westside. The loss was the Thunderbirds' first of the season.
Pius X will have to keep a close watch on Bryce Johnson Jr and Robert Garcia, a pair of players who had a big impact on Bellevue West's prior game. Johnson Jr dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Garcia went 7 of 17 on his way to 21 points and seven boards. Garcia's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keaton Melcher, who posted seven points.
Even though they lost, Bellevue West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Bellevue West fell to 2-1. As for Pius X, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
Pius X came up short against Bellevue West when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 67-60. Can Pius X avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
