Bellevue West wins back-to-back state titles, taking down Millard North 57-48

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - In the Thunderbirds and Mustangs’ fifth consecutive meeting in the Class A boys state basketball championship game, it was top-seeded Bellevue West who hoisted the state title trophy inside Pinnacle Bank Arena Saturday.

Neither team saw success from beyond the arc in the first half, with both Millard North and Bellevue West hitting a combined 2-of-25 shots from beyond the arc. Shooting 42% from the field in the first two quarters, the Mustangs took a 25-18 lead going into halftime.

The final two quarters were a different story.

The Thunderbirds started the third quarter on a 15-2 run to take a six-point lead. Senior guard Jaden Jackson accounted for 12 of the Thunderbirds’ 15 points during that run. Jackson scored 19 of his game-high 21 points in the last 20 minutes, going 7-of-11 from and 3-of-5 from three.

The Mustangs cut the Thunderbirds’ lead down to two with 5:33 left in the fourth quarter, however, Jackson put up another seven points to pad Bellevue West’s lead back to six with 3:02 left in the game.

With just under two minutes left, senior guard Grant Urbanek had a fast-break layup to get the Mustangs back within three.

A layup from senior Eldon Turner with 1:25 left and four made free throws in the final 18 seconds helped solidify Bellevue West’s 57-48 win.

It may have been the Thunderbirds’ seventh championship in program history, but it was the first for head coach Steve Klein.

“I’m just beyond proud of them for how they came to practice every day. They worked hard and they stuck together,” said Klein. “We had some times down here that were difficult for us. Offensively we weren’t in great shape all the time. But they stuck with it, they stayed together and found a way to get it done.”

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