Game Report: Class A Semis

<h5><strong>Millard North 69 – Millard West 62</strong></h5> <p>A full quarter of basketball hadn’t been played yet, and Millard North had already given the ball away six times. They were playing loose with the basketball, and Millard West was taking advantage of their opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id="890478" first="Evan" last="Meyersick"] was using his athleticism and power to get deep post position and slide by the Mustang bigs. But in the second quarter, [player_tooltip player_id="890479" first="Saint" last="Thomas"] put on a show. At half, he had 14 points (4/7 3FG) while having an impact in every part of the game. This was not a great game from [player_tooltip player_id="773443" first="Hunter" last="Sallis"], who totaled 7 turnovers and only 11 points. His on-ball defense made an impact, as well as his passing vision late in the game. The Wildcats erased an 8-point halftime deficit, and took the lead for a brief moment in the third quarter, but Millard North flipped the switch for the first time in the game and delivered a decisive 9-0 run from which the Wildcats never recovered from.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="890478" first="Evan" last="Meyersick"] led the Wildcats with 15 points, and [player_tooltip player_id="958192" first="Ryan" last="Larsen"] continued his hot shooting, totaling 14 points. The path to the upset was there; Millard West turned it into a grinder at points, and Sallis had an off night. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the performance of [player_tooltip player_id="890479" first="Saint" last="Thomas"] (26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals). I also have to give a shoutout to Millard North senior [player_tooltip player_id="1044796" first="Colin" last="Monie"], who had one of the grittiest rebounding performances I’ve seen in a while</p> <p>The Wildcats pushed the Mustangs and shot the lights out of the ball in the fourth, but the Mustangs took care of the ball and hit their free throws, earning the victory.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h5><strong>Bellevue West 95 – Creighton Prep 94 (3OT)</strong></h5> <p>I was lucky to be in the building on Friday night, because that was one of the best basketball games I’ve seen at any level. Prep’s [player_tooltip player_id="890472" first="AJ" last="Rollins"] was terrific in every aspect. Offensively, he showcased excellent decision making all night. He attacked mismatches with great success, usually bullying his way to the rim for points, but ready to kick out when the defense collapsed. He had 22 points on 10/15 shooting, and he rebounded a few of those misses for putbacks. He had a few grown man rebounds that made me say "Wow!" out loud. His rim protection was excellent, too, blocking 2 shots and altering countless others. </p> <p>Bellevue West’s [player_tooltip player_id="890468" first="Frankie" last="Fidler"] also had a terrific night. His three-point shooting was as good as ever (7/11 3FG), and made some great plays with the pass after attacking a hard closeout. But in the end, it was [player_tooltip player_id="773431" first="Chucky" last="Hepburn"] who willed this team to win. Bellevue West found themselves down as much as seven in the fourth quarter, and Chucky made every play there was to be made. He hit 5 threes in the fourth quarter and overtime periods. He was the quarterback of the defense, calling out coverages and switches to all of his teammates. After heating up on offense and dragging his team back in to the game, he makes this play to tie the game:</p> <p>https://twitter.com/OmahaHSHoops/status/1370582571084611591?s=20</p> <p>It was an incredible play, and one that Chucky makes often with his preternatural feel for the game. Once tied, these teams essentially traded baskets for the rest of regulation, and three overtime periods. It was incredible basketball. You could see signs of fatigue, but their competitiveness won out and inspired some amazing basketball. My heart was racing watching them go back and forth, and I had no dog in the fight. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>On Saturday at 7:00pm, we will get the highly-anticipated rematch of last year’s State Finals. #1 Millard North will face off against #2 Bellevue West at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Bellevue West won last year’s Finals, and the two teams have faced off twice this season. Millard North won a double overtime thriller by 3 points on January 2, and Bellevue West got their revenge a few weeks later with a 12-point win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>