The Westside Boys basketball team is headed to state following a decisive 67-41 win against Omaha Bryan. This marks the first time in school history that the Warriors will head to state three years in a row.
Bryan opened up the game in the first quarter to come out with a 14-8 lead over Westside in the first quarter. Westside adjusted to an unfamiliar Bryan defense to come out to a 26-21 lead at the half.
“We got the lid off. We made a couple shots,” head coach Jim Simons said. “Credit to Bryan, I don’t know if they played a possession of 2-3 zone all year. We were prepared for the 3-2 zone and we were way out of rhythm early in the game. We missed some shots that we would normally make. I thought our pace and rhythm was impacted by their defense. Then CJ Mitchell took the lid off of it, got the game more our pace, and once the game got up and down, it got a lot better for us. That’s the way we want to play.”
Mitchell, who finished the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, would give the Warriors a spark in the 2nd, and the Warriors took off from there. By the end of the third quarter, Westside would hold a 20 point lead over Bryan with a 49-29 score. “We got loose. We were playing tight. We made a couple of shots, and just took off from there,” CJ Mitchell said.
The comeback win proves the Warriors can compete in state. Westside will come in as the #3 seed to face #6 seed Lincoln Southeast on March 6th. These two teams faced each other earlier in the season, with Lincoln Southeast coming out victorious. However, Westside has grown a lot as a team since that game. Their 3-point shooting has elevated, and they have been able to get games to their pace.
This is the first time in school history that Westside will send a team to Pinnacle Bank Arena three years in a row.
“We’re awfully proud of them,” Simons said. “I think it might be the first time in westside history that we’ve been to the state basketball tournament three years in a row. That’s a credit to those guys that have been integral parts to all three of those. Obviously, you talk at the beginning of the year, that’s the goal, you want to get down there, and give yourself the opportunity to compete. We’re excited to go down there, we know we’re going to play somebody good. I’m proud of them and excited to get down there.”
In the past two years, Westside has lost in the first round to Creighton Prep in 2022, and beat Lincoln East 84-54 in the first round, and lost to Bellevue west 74-41 in 2023. This year Westside has something to prove, as they take a roster with seven seniors, who have been integral parts to those three tournament appearances down to Lincoln. Westside also carries an eight game win streak into the tournament, giving them the momentum and confidence they need to come back with a title.
Westside will play in Pinnacle Bank Arena on March 6 at 7:45 p.m. For this team, the goal is clear: as Senior Kevin Stubblefield puts it “We want it.”
