Basketball Game Preview: Bellevue West Thunderbirds vs. Papillion-LaVista South Titans

Bellevue West is 8-1 against Papillion-LaVista South since February of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bellevue West Thunderbirds will head out to take on the Papillion-LaVista South Titans at 7:15 p.m. One thing working in Bellevue West's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 95-64, which was the final score in Bellevue West's tilt against Northwest on Monday. The matchup marked the Thunderbirds' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Bellevue West's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Robert Garcia, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine boards, and Brayden Mauro, who went 6 for 12 on his way to 16 points. Garcia is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Coyer, who posted nine points.

Meanwhile, Papillion-LaVista South faced Westview in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Papillion-LaVista South fell 68-61 to Westview.

Bellevue West's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Papillion-LaVista South, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-3.

Bellevue West didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Papillion-LaVista South when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with an 82-76 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Papillion-LaVista South's Bryson Bahl, who almost dropped a double-double on 40 points and nine boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Bellevue West still be able to contain Bahl? There's only one way to find out.