Though Westside got upset in the A3 district finals by Lincoln Southwest, they still snuck into the state championship tournament as the two seed with the final wildcard spot.
The district final game started the Silverhawks’ way with a 12-9 lead after the first quarter. It was all Westside going the rest of the way in the second quarter, as the Warriors went on a 10-0 run to end the quarter going up 26-20 into halftime. It was back and forth in the third with Silverhawks Uzziah Sanders leading the charge, but Emre Gedik and Tyson Odvody enforced their presence down in the paint increasing the Warriors’ lead to nine at some points. By the end of the third Westside’s lead was down to seven.
The first bucket of the final quarter was by the Warriors, but then the Silverhawks went on the 8-0 run to cut the lead to 44-43 with six minutes in the fourth. Trell Snoddy hit a clutch three to give Westside a four point lead at the four minute mark but the Silverhawks, led by the Sanders twins and Hudson Mezger, hit clutch free throws down the stretch along with forcing turnovers and had a two point advantage with five seconds left. Makkahi Sanders missed a free throw which Gedik rebounded and passed to Montae Brown for the last shot which hit the rim and allowed the Silverhawks to upset Westside in dramatic fashion 57-55. The Silverhawks advanced to the state tournament for the second time in school history.
For the Warriors, the offense who averaged 70 points per game went cold from the field only going 3/21 from three. Gedik, Odvody and Snoddy lead the charge with double digit points each. The Warriors also missed their opportunity at the free throw line shooting 16/33 from the charity stripe. This includes Gedik going 4/10 from the line and freshman Lee Robinson going 1/6 from the line. For the Silverhawks ,they were led by the Sanders twins and Mezger who had 48 of the Silverhawks 57 points. The Silverhawks forced 14 Warrior turnovers, mainly in the final frame, including on a key possession with 20 seconds left that was the dagger for the victory. Westside was not the only upset of the night; Creighton Prep, Lincoln Northeast and Westview all lost their district finals which they hosted.
The only team ahead of Westside going into the district tournaments was Westview, who if they lost would most likely get the wildcard spot. But by strength of schedule and the district semi final game, Westside jumped the Wolverines in wildcard points going into the final game. Both teams lost and that meant the Warriors snuck in by 0.769 points. The opponent for Westside in the semi-final game was Columbus who was a quad three team and the Wolverines played Omaha South who was a quad four team which made the Warriors win more valuable and gave them the wildcard point advantage.
“It feels grateful from an emotional standpoint that we get a second chance,” head coach Jim Simons said “You rarely get a second opportunity at something in life and we have an opportunity to write a wrong.”
Though the Warriors didn’t have the game they wanted to finish out districts, they still snuck in and have an opportunity at a state championship. Their first round opponent is none other than the Lincoln Southwest Silverhawks. This will be the third time the teams have played this season. Westside won the first matchup 93-55 and the Silverhawks took the second in both teams’ last game 57-55.
“I thought there were some bunnies and layups around the rim that we could’ve made,” Simons said. “They’re a better defensive team from when we first played them but if we take care of the ball and finish better we’ll be better.”
The Warriors are looking for revenge at the Silverhawks for the upset, but the loss might be a blessing in disguise for the Warriors. The other two teams they’ve lost to this season, Papillon South and Millard North, are on the other side of the bracket which means the Warriors wouldn’t have to face them until the finals. On the Warriors side of the bracket they have the three Lincoln schools: Southwest, North Star and Southeast. The main challenge if the Warriors win will be the Navigators who are 20-5 on the year and have a talented young team led by sophomore Jordan Castor.
No matter how this state tournament goes, this is one of the most up for grab tournaments in a very long time. Millard North and Bellevue West have won the past 5 state championships, but both will have to run through the one seeded Titans on their way to a title. It is anyone’s game in these do or die, win and advance or you’re going home, contests in the madness of March.
“There are gonna be some heightened emotions,” Simons said. “ We have a better idea of the urgency of postseason basketball instead of it being a regular game on a Saturday especially in a place like Pinnacle Bank.”
The Warriors first round matchup is against Lincoln Southwest on Wednesday, March 12th, at 6:00 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.
