No. 2 Bellevue West capped a big week with a 78-66 win at No. 3 Omaha Westside on Thursday night.
The 6-1 Thunderbirds will ride a four-game winning streak into the holiday moratorium after beating Totino-Grace (Minnesota) on its own court, Summit Christian Academy (Missouri) at the Hy-Vee Arena in Kansas City and Westside on its home court in a six-day span.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are losers of their last two after starting the season at 5-0 including a top-five win over Gretna.
Story of the Game
The teams traded blows early despite neither side shooting well from the perimeter. Westside went 1-for-7 from deep in the first quarter while Bellevue West missed all five of its attempts, but the Thunderbirds took an 18-16 lead into the second period.
The lid came off the rims in the second quarter. Westside took a 23-22 lead on a Tyson Odvody 3 — the first of six straight possessions with 3-pointers from six different players. Bellevue West finished the half strong to take a 42-35 lead, shooting 6-of-9 from deep in the period.
Halftime didn’t cool the Thunderbirds off in the slightest. They opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run and led by as much as 16 before taking a 67-54 lead into the final period.
Bellevue West put up 49 points in the second and third quarters, shooting 18-of-27 from the field including 8-of-12 from 3-point range, with the only blemish being a few too many turnovers. Bellevue West coach Steve Klein said the key to their offensive success started on the other end of the floor.
“I think it started with our defense, especially in the third quarter,” Klein said. “But in the second quarter, we got the game going and I think that really feed us up a little bit. We weren’t playing in the half court as much. They’re so physical, so when we got the game going we were able to get a lot more easy opportunities and open shots, which gave us the opportunity to get more shots to go in.
“Then in the third quarter, our defense made the difference. We were able to get stops and then get out and run and get some momentum and get some rhythm, which was the difference.”
Westside managed to trim the lead down to eight early in the fourth quarter but could get no closer as the Thunderbirds managed to hold on. Westside only hit one of its five 3-point attempts in the quarter.
Coach Speak
Bellevue West coach Steve Klein with a @pinnbank conversation after the T-Birds 79-66 win at Omaha Westside. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/pwtK4o2iP4
— Mike Sautter (@MikeSautter_) December 22, 2023
Standout Performers
Senior point guard Eldon Turner, a Wayne State commit, led the Thunderbirds with 18 points, six rebounds and three steals while shooting 6-of-7 from the field (3-of-3 from 3) and 3-of-4 from the foul line. Turner played a big role in the win up in Minnesota last Saturday as well, putting up a career-high 19 points, with 16 of those points coming in the first half on 100% shooting.
Junior forward Robby Garcia put up 16 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season after a career-best 24 points plus 10 rebounds against a talented Totino-Grace team last Saturday.
South Dakota State signee Jaden Jackson scored 14 points and grabbed six boards while senior Isaiah McMorris provided a spark off the bench with 11 points on 50% shooting plus a steal and a block, a day after signing his national letter of intent with Nebraska football. It was McMorris’s second straight double-digit outing after scoring 10 with three steals in Kansas City on Tuesday.
“I’m so proud of him,” Klein said. “When he’s engaged, he’s probably one of the best on-ball defenders I’ve seen, at least for guys that I’ve ever coached, and he makes such a difference when he’s engaged. And then offensively, he’s done such a good job of — he’s hit some shots and he’s driving it to the hoop, but he’s also looking for guys to pass.
“One of the things I said at the beginning of the year with him is ‘Isaiah, you can play free; you don’t have any pressure. That’s all football for you, man. This is free. You get to go play and have fun and enjoy it.’ He’s been doing that so far this year and I’m really proud of him.”
Senior Kevin Stubblefield scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting with five rebounds. Fellow senior CJ Mitchell added 17 points and seven rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Senior Rickey Loftin II chipped in 14 points, five rebounds and four steals while hitting two of his three triples.
Bellevue West wins 78-66 over Omaha Westside.
T-Birds head to the break at 6-1 and a four game winning streak. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/odlsEXqqcp
— THEnebpreps (@THEnebpreps) December 22, 2023
