The No. 2 seeds took home the hardware at the Metro Holiday Tournament on Wednesday night as the Millard West girls and Bellevue West boys emerged victorious in the finals.
GBB: No. 2 Millard West 60, No. 4 Omaha Central 45
The Wildcats raced out to a 10-0 start, led 19-5 after one then maintained a double-digit lead most of the game to improve to 10-0 and hand the Eagles their first loss of the season.
Millard West junior Neleigh Gessert put an exclamation point on a fantastic tournament run, dropping 30 points, five boards and three steals to lead the Wildcats to victory. She shot 10-of-14 from the field including 5-of-8 from 3 and 5-of-6 from the foul line.
The 6-foot-1 guard holds several Division I offers including both in-state high-majors and showed why, handling the ball, finishing through contact and drilling some tough and timely 3s despite facing intense defensive pressure throughout.
Sophomore Kylee Paben stepped up as well to provide Gessert some support with a big double-double. She put up 19 points with three 3-pointers and pulled down 14 rebounds including seven on the offensive end.
There was a lid on the rim early for Central and Millard West pushed the lead out to 20 midway through the second period, but the Eagles didn’t roll over. They scrapped their way back into the game as 3s started to fall in the second half, trimming the deficit down to nine early in the fourth.
However, Paben answered with a big 3 and Gessert followed with three more of her own to put the comeback on ice.
Junior Amiyja Hughes sparked the second-half comeback for the Eagles and was Central’s only double-digit scorer, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-6 from the field (3-of-4 from 3) and 1-of-2 form the foul line.
Millard West claims the Metro Holiday Tournament title for the second time in school history.@marissavoss is joined post game with sophomore @kylee_paben to discuss her double-double performance.#nebpreps pic.twitter.com/UediAjpihc
— THEnebpreps (@THEnebpreps) January 4, 2024
NEBPreps All-Tournament Team
Neleigh Gessert, Jr., Millard West (MVP): 22.5 PPG, 47.1% FG (38.5% 3FG), 78.6% FT, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Kylee Paben, So., Millard West: 16.8 PPG, 55.6% FG (53.3% 3FG), 75.0% FT, 9.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG
Inia Jones, Sr., Omaha Central: 20.0 PPG, 45.0% FG (52.6% 3FG), 72.7% FT, 6.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.8 SPG
Kara Stricklin, Sr., Omaha Westside: 19.0 PPG, 40.5% FG (29.4% 3FG), 94.7% FT, 5.0 RPG
Avril Smith, Jr., Millard North: 7.8 PPG, 58.9% FG, 75% FT, 5.3 RPG, 3.3 SPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 BPG
BBB: No. 2 Bellevue West 75, No. 8 Omaha Central 57
Bellevue West senior Jaden Jackson (12) blocks an Eagle shot with fellow senior Steven Poulicek (4) defending the rim. Photo by Eric Francis.
Bellevue West dug itself a hole early but locked down on defense in the second quarter and caught fire on offense in the third to turn the boys final into a rout.
The Thunderbirds were ice-cold in the first quarter, missing eight of their nine 3-point attempts as senior Daleron Thomas led Central to a 19-11 lead after one. Both of Bellevue West’s bigs picked up two fouls in the first five minutes and Central took advantage when the Thunderbirds had to go small.
Bellevue West stepped up the defensive effort in the second quarter, however, holding the Eagles to seven points and 3-of-13 shooting to turn an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead at halftime. Central ran into its own foul trouble as Thomas picked up his third midway through and had to take a seat after scoring 10 points in the first quarter.
Both teams were at full strength to start the second half, and the Thunderbirds knocked down three straight 3s from three different players to open the third period. They went on to score 26 points in the quarter, shooting 9-of-11 from the field with four 3s and a three-point play. Bellevue West took a 16-point lead into the fourth then extended it to 20 early before cruising to the finish.
Senior Jaden Jackson, a South Dakota State commit, missed all four of his shots in the first quarter then only missed one more time the rest of the way, finishing with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-7 from 3) and 3-of-4 foul-shooting with nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
Junior Robby Garcia wasn’t far behind with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting (3-of-5 from deep) with an and-one. He put up 10 of those points in the third quarter, scoring inside and out. Senior Steven Poulicek followed his big semifinal performance with another solid game — 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field (2-of-4 from 3) and 2-of-2 from the line.
Thomas led the Eagles with 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals while senior DJ Sterling added 11 points, five boards and two steals.
BACK-TO-BACK 🏆
Bellevue West defeats Omaha Central 75-57 to take home the hardware at the Metro Holiday Tournament. Anna Ambrose with @JadenJ2024 on the win. pic.twitter.com/qCkAIjmGd4
— THEnebpreps (@THEnebpreps) January 4, 2024
NEBPreps All-Tournament Team
Jaden Jackson, Sr., Bellevue West: 15.8 PPG, 54.8% FG (40.0% 3FG), 75.0% FT, 5.3 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 2.0 BPG
Robby Garcia, Jr., Bellevue West: 17.3 PPG, 63.4% FG (76.5% 3FG), 80.0% FT, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG
Steven Poulicek, Sr., Bellevue West: 14.8 PPG, 57.9% FG (61.1% 3FG), 57.1% FT, 2.5 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG
Daleron Thomas, Sr., Omaha Central: 19.0 PPG, 49.1% FG (57.9% 3FG), 60.0% FT, 4.5 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.3 SPG
Kevin Stubblefield, Sr., Omaha Westside: 13.7 PPG, 61.5% FG (16.7% 3FG), 66.7% FT, 3.3 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.7 APG
