On Saturday, Jan. 30, the Millard West Varsity Basketball team competed against the Lincoln East Spartans. The Wildcats had been on a hot streak and a win in this game would secure six straight wins.

Entering the game, the Wildcats had a record of 11-3 taking losses to Omaha North, Bellevue West and Creighton Prep. The Spartans had a 5-7 record and were projected to lose the matchup.

The first quarter began with the Spartans winning the tip off and maintaining possession of the ball. After a few quick passes, the Spartans found an open man and knocked down a mid-range jumper, taking the lead. Shortly following the bucket, the Wildcats drove down the court and made two more shots, one by shooting forward senior Dustin Hatch and another by power forward senior Evan Meyersick. After these shots, the Spartans started to pick up their defensive momentum and got three consecutive rebounds preventing the Wildcats from scoring. This led to two more shot opportunities for the Spartans, which they completed on making the sore 9-7 Spartan lead. Nearing the end of the quarter, the Spartans hit a three, creating a five point deficit for the Wildcats. With just one minutes left in the quarter, Millard West was able to make two buckets and lock in an 11-12 score going into the second quarter.

“Entering the game, we knew they had a talented point guard and plenty of multi-sport athletes that were physical and willing to compete,” Hatch said. “We started off behind in the first quarter, but we weren’t too worried about it. We knew all we had to do was hit some shots and focus on guarding number three a little harder.”

The second quarter was off to a slow start for Millard West when shooting guard senior Ryan Larsen barely missed a three for the two point lead. Fortunately for the Wildcats, power forward senior James Conway was able to get the rebound and put it back up for two points. About halfway through the quarter, Millard West started to pull away from Lincoln East by making quick and agile movements with the ball. The Wildcats improved their passing game along with taking smarter shots, which left Lincoln East at an 11 point deficit. After a shot from behind the arc and a floater from two Spartan players, the score at half was 27-19 Millard West lead.

“We made a lot of outside shots in the second quarter, and that helped our guys relax a little,” coach William Morrison said. “The team made them stretch out their defense and open up the middle, which resulted in Lincoln East getting more fouls. If we would have made more of our free throws it wouldn’t have been such a close game in the end.”

The third quarter started with the Spartans getting two rebounds on the same possession, and eventually knocking down a three to make it a five point game. Throughout the remainder of the quarter, shots were constantly being made by the Wildcats, along with Lincoln East responding to almost every one, never allowing the Wildcats to stretch their lead. Many of Millard West’s points in this quarter were off of free throws, due to defensive fouls by the Spartans. In the last seconds of the quarter, the Wildcats got a defensive foul on point guard junior Chase Hultman, giving the Spartans a chance to score. Millard West was able to play lockdown defense and prevent Lincoln East from scoring a three. After the Spartan airball, the quarter ended with a score of 43-35 Spartans losing.

“We could have got better at finishing at the hoop, rather than relying mostly on threes,” Hatch said. “We also could have improved one on one defense, and with a few guard heavy teams coming up, it is important for us to stay in front of and contain quick guards.”

The last quarter of the game was where the intensity rose and both teams strived. Near the beginning of the quarter, the Wildcat players came out with more speed, quicker decisions and didn’t hesitate to put the ball up. This created a 12 point lead, with four minutes left in the game. After a missed shot by the Wildcats, the Spartans responded with a three, dampening Millard West’s motivation. The rest of the quarter was all up hill for Lincoln East, and the Wildcats were barely able to stay ahead. Several careless shots were taken by Millard West players, and the Spartans responded with even more points. With seven seconds left in the game, the Wildcats missed two free throws, and their lead remained three. This gave the Spartans a chance to tie it up, however, they bricked the three, ending the game 60-57 Wildcats.

“I think we are ready for the last three weeks of the season,” Morrison said. “This game has shown us things we need to keep working on like rebounding and making smarter decisions. Our next three games are against rated teams, which means there is less room for error.”

Millard West will be back in action on Friday, February 5, against Omaha Westside. The matchup will be one not to miss, considering the Wildcats are 12-3 and the Warriors are 11-4.