Papillion-LaVista is 8-0 against Burke since January of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The two teams will face off at 7:15 p.m. on January 18th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Papillion-LaVista managed to keep up with Millard South until halftime last Saturday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Papillion-LaVista's rough 57-37 loss to Millard South might stick with them for a while. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Papillion-LaVista has suffered yet this season.
Despite their loss, Papillion-LaVista saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cedric Williams, who scored 12 points along with three steals and two blocks, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Williams has scored all season. Garin Maley was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Burke struggled with assists two weeks ago (Bryan had nine more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Burke ended up on the wrong side of a rough 76-54 walloping at the hands of Bryan. While losing is never fun, Burke can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 234th, while Bryan is ranked 49th).
Michael White put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored ten points along with five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Nate Vereen-burton, who scored seven points along with six rebounds.
Papillion-LaVista's loss dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Burke, their loss was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 3-7.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's game: Papillion-LaVista have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4.6 threes per game. It's a different story for Burke, though, as they've been averaging only 4.9 threes per game. Given Papillion-LaVista's sizeable advantage in that area, Burke will need to find a way to close that gap.
Papillion-LaVista beat Burke 72-61 in their previous matchup back in February of 2022. Will Papillion-LaVista repeat their success, or does Burke have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
