The Bellevue West Thunderbirds came tearing into Saturday's game with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They secured a 72-67 W over Lincoln Southeast. Given Bellevue West's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked first, while the Knights are ranked 30th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jaden Jackson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 21 points along with two blocks. He has been hot recently, having posted 18 or more points the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Steven Poulicek, who scored 13 points.
Taye Moore and Mike Ngoyi certainly did their best on Saturday to avoid the loss. Moore scored 26 points, while Ngoyi scored 16 points along with seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Moore has scored all season. Deng Giet was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Bellevue West pushed their record up to 16-1 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Lincoln Southeast, their loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 15-5.
Bellevue West will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Chieftains at 7:15 p.m. Bellevue East has now lost 11 straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 22. As for Lincoln Southeast, they will head out on the road to face off against the Bearcats at 7:45 p.m. on Friday.
