The Westside boys basketball team has had a busy week of action coming off three straight wins. Going into the week, the Warriors held the eighth spot in the NSAA Wild Card Standings. Looking to host a district tournament, the Warriors would need to hold that eighth spot or better throughout the rest of the year to do so. With the busiest week the Warriors have seen all season, they did that and more.

To start off the week on Tuesday, the Warriors took down Elkhorn South 56-52 behind a career high night from Chandler Meeks who had 29 points along with seven rebounds. Although much of the rest of the offense was shaky throughout the night, Meeks felt that the win was all that mattered.

“It was a good win, our defense was shaky at times and we managed to pull it off and win and that’s all that matters. Play rocky throughout the game but we got the win,” Meeks said about the Elkhorn South win. “When Reggie went out, that’s my partner I mean, partners in crime we’ve been through since 8th grade. When one teammate steps out another has to step up and I stepped up and shots went in.”

After the win on Tuesday the Warriors would face their seventh top ten team of the year in Millard West on Friday. Behind another stellar night from Meeks with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, the Warriors would dominate the Wildcats 59-38. Reggie Thomas would also with 15 points and seven rebounds of his own. In another well spread out game on offense, Simons was happy with his team’s consistency.

“We asked our guys to compete really hard in the paint tonight, we don’t have the size of Millard West but we just needed to compete in the paint. I believe we out-rebounded them which shows how hard we played in the paint,” Simons said. “I think our ball pressure and speed and athleticism got the game to a pace more to our liking then millard west’s liking. They got really good rhythm shooters and we talked about trying to break that rhythm.”

With a quick turnaround after the win against Millard West, Saturday the boys would hold their senior night up against Bellevue East. In a 75-45 win, Reggie Thomas would once again show his consistency all across the floor with 22 points and four steals while Payson Gillespie would have 11 points and six rebounds. With Tate Odvody still out, Logan Wilson once again did his part in the paint with eight points, six rebounds and two blocks. Coach Simons after the long a successful week felt proud for his team.
“We challenged our guys this week with 3 games, and that’s not always easy to do. Not just a physical toll on the body but mentally as well. Preparing on Monday for the Tuesday opponent, Wednesday Thursday preparing for the Friday opponent. Then Saturday morning to prepare for that afternoon opponent. Simons said. “I thought we were really dialed in this week and executed the game plan in all three games really well. Great job passing a physical and mental test for our guys.” 

With Saturday’s senior night, three of Westside’s senior basketball players got their opportunity to start. Seniors Bo Lucas, Brayden Gregurich, and London Stubblefield were recognized for their participation in the basketball program and Simons was happy to see them on the court.

“These guys are tremendous teammates. Not everyone would take the sacrifice and play the role they play,” Simons said. “Every guy on our team has a role along with any team and any organization. Their roll is really important to us, they are amazing practice players and huge energy guys. They support and care about the team, I can’t thank them enough. We are super appreciative of them and all that they’ve done for us.”

After the strong week, the Warriors will be challenged with one of the toughest opponents in the metro on Friday, Feb. 12 as they head to Omaha Central to play the fourth-ranked Eagles.