“Top ten matchup” is a phrase that has come up often with the 2019-2020 Westside varsity boys basketball team and will come up once again as they face the #2 Omaha South Packers Tuesday, February 4th. The fourth-ranked Warriors will play their eighth matchup this season against a ranked team looking to continue their push for a spot as a district host. Currently with 42.88 NSAA wildcard points the Warriors just barely slip into the eighth and final spot among district hosts. With six remaining games left in the regular season head coach Jim Simons says he wants to preach the same thing he has all season, no matter what outside pressure there may be.

“We’ve talked all year about how basketball’s a tournament sport. What happens in late February and early March is what ultimately defines the season,” Simons said. “Regardless of whether we win or lose in the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be in a district tournament that we’ll need to win in order to accomplish our goal of going to state.”

After a two week span where the Warriors played four different top-ten opponents, the team went up against two under .500 teams in Millard West and Bellevue East this past weekend. In those two games, Westside combined for 165 points, led by senior Jadin Booth with 44 helping them achieve two more wins to add to the record book. 

“Offensively, we shot the ball well which if that can continue to happen would certainly be a good thing,” Simons said. “Part of us shooting the ball well was that we did a good job of finding good shots for us. We moved the ball, we were able to get shots that we want out of our offense, stationary three’s and shots at the rim. We need to continue to do that. In both games, we rebounded well. Both teams were bigger than we are which isn’t anything new for us on the year. It was two of our better defensive rebounding games of the year and that will be really critical [against Omaha South].”

The Omaha metro area has some very solid basketball this season. The week nine Class A rankings are very close and competitive. There are four teams in the top 10 sitting with only two losses. The Warriors by the end of the season will have played all of the current top four. With a loss to current #1 Millard North 68-60 and a very close loss to current #3 Bellevue West 85-84 in overtime, the Warriors’ aren’t shy of a big game against a tough opponent. The last game of the regular season the Warriors’ will take on Omaha Central who are currently #4 sitting 11-2. 

Omaha Westside starting sophomore Chandler Meeks enjoys the amount of competition there is this year in Class A. 

“The teams we play are all very good and it’s an amazing atmosphere wherever we play,” Meeks said. 

There’s a lot of pressure on the Warriors, same with any team to make the state tournament. The way that high school basketball is this season you can’t overlook any opponent because you could end up with a loss to a team you’re better than. 

“We take it game by game and not worry about the rankings. We as a team just come out every night and play the best we can,” Meeks said. 

You can catch the Warriors taking on Omaha South on Warrior Television’s Youtube channel at 7:15 pm.