Since our last boys varsity basketball (14-5) recap, the team played three games, two of which were against ranked opponents.

The team, which was ranked No. 5 last week. started off the weekend with a 58-51 win at then-No. 1 Omaha Central (16-3). Led by senior Michael Herrmann, who had 20 points in the game, while going 7-8 from the free throw line, Westside played Central to a 31-31 draw after three quarters.

Then, to start out the fourth, the Warriors scored nine unanswered points to take a 40-31 lead. Central, however, battled back, and got it to 52-49 with 1:34 remaining. The Warriors, however, answered with four points and extended their lead to seven, 56-49, with 24.5 seconds left, and the Warriors went on to win by eight.

While the win was momentous, Westside had little time to celebrate, as it followed up its Friday win at Central with a home game against Omaha South (14-5) the next night, Saturday, Feb. 8.

Facing the then-No. 3 ranked team, Westside went into the second quarter in an 11-11 tie. But soon, South was on a run, and outscored Westside by nine in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, Westside got the deficit to as low as six, but no smaller, before South extended its lead in the fourth quarter.

In the game, the Warriors were hampered by a poor shooting performance. The team shot 33 percent from the field, and a dismal, by Westside standards, 21 percent from three. The Warriors top four scorers in the game shot  13/39 from the field.

Last night, Thursday, Feb. 13, the Warriors beat Omaha North 66-45.

Coming up this week for Westside, which is now ranked No. 3, are games against Omaha Burke Saturday, Feb. 15, and against Lincoln High School Thursday, Feb. 27. Both games are at 7:15 p.m. at Westside. Burke (11-7) is ranked eighth. Lincoln (9-10) is unranked.

Follow @westsidewired for live updates of the games and check out our LiveWired presentation of both games right here on Westside Wired.

Game Predictions

Westside Wired predicts the boys team to beat Burke 3 votes to 0 and to beat Lincoln High School 3 votes to 0: Westside is ranked No. 3 for a reason. After beating Central, despite losing to Omaha South, this team has shown that it is one of the best teams in the state. While Burke is good, the Warriors won’t have a poor shooting night like they had against Omaha South, and should bounce back with a big night. Against Lincoln, the Warriors defense will take over, and the Warriors will pick up the second win.