The Bellevue West Thunderbirds waltzed into their game on Saturday with 12 straight wins but they left with 13. They walked away with a 74-63 win over Kearney. Given Bellevue West's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked first, while Kearney is ranked 52nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Bellevue West's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Robby Garcia, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jaden Jackson, who scored 18 points.
Kearney lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Ben Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and ten rebounds. Johnson hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for four straight games. Jacob Webber was another key contributor, scoring 16 points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
Bellevue West pushed their record up to 15-1 with that victory, which was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Kearney, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-4.
Bellevue West will take on Lincoln Southeast at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday. As for Kearney, they will head out on the road to square off against Pius X at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Pius X's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season.
