“He idolizes you, man.”

That’s what senior PJ Ngambi was told by a Westside community member about his son after the Westside boys basketball team punched their second straight state tournament ticket with a 73-60 win over eighth-ranked Papillion-La VIsta on Tuesday.

Going up against the Monarchs in the district final, the Warriors went up against a team that was essentially their polar opposite. With Papillion’s slow and more physical offense, Jadin Booth said he felt that the team’s ability to dictate the pace helped them pull through with the win.

“We just had to make more plays. Our backside help was kind of slacking early on. We had to adjust in the second half and try to push them out further and make sure the backside was there but ultimately it came down to who made more plays at the end,” Booth said.

A part of that big and physical offense from the Monarchs was 6’6” 305 lb center, Preston Kellogg. Kellogg, who scored 18 in the Monarchs’ win over Millard South on Saturday, was kept to a small impact against Carl Brown. Brown said he felt that his team’s experience throughout the year made his matchup a lot more predictable.

“We worked all year, we front the post and backside help [was a factor]. It wasn’t anything that we haven’t seen. He’s bigger than the rest of the bigs out there but nothing new,” Brown said.

With all top eight teams in the state tournament showing that they can play well against other top opponents, for many people, the state title is still very much up for grabs. Booth, who put up 20 points on the night, said he feels that this warrior team has a great shot at that title.

“I think we’re the most experienced.I think we’re the most deserving. I think we worked the hardest in the off-season and I think we should’ve went further last year. I don’t think there’s a better way to go out than to win a state championship,” Booth said. “This year we have unfinished business to complete so we’re just hoping we can just get two more this year. Heck of a win tonight and we’re looking forward to going down to Lincoln.”

The state tournament will begin on Thursday, March 12th at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.