Omaha Northwest is 0-7 against the Monarchs since February of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Omaha Northwest Huskies will be playing at home against the Papillion-LaVista Monarchs at 7:15 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Omaha Northwest's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their third straight defeat. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 67-45 walloping at the hands of Gretna. While losing is never fun, Omaha Northwest can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 211th, while the Dragons are ranked 18th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Chiok John, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds and three blocks. Dontae McDowell was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Omaha Northwest struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They are winless (0-3) when they just don't pass the ball.
Meanwhile, Papillion-LaVista struggled with assists on Tuesday (the Vikings had 11 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. The match between Papillion-LaVista and the Vikings wasn't particularly close, with the Monarchs falling 68-52. Papillion-LaVista has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Loss or not, Papillion-LaVista got some senior leadership from Brock Rahl and Eric Ingwerson. Rahl scored 11 points, while Ingwerson. scored seven points along with 13 rebounds. Ingwerson is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Garin Maley, who scored six points along with five rebounds.
Omaha Northwest's defeat dropped their record down to 3-12. As for Papillion-LaVista, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Omaha Northwest have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Papillion-LaVista struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Omaha Northwest was dealt a bruising 82-36 loss at the hands of the Monarchs in their previous meeting back in January of 2023. Thankfully for Omaha Northwest, Chase Williams (who scored 19 points along with eight rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
