High School Kickoff: Week 1 – Four Games To Notice (Part 1)

As the high school season starts to get under way over the next two weeks, there is a lot to keep an eye on. Depending on what Class you are paying attention to and what rosters you are looking at, there seems to be a good amount of change. A lot of teams across the state will need to find some new producers, try new offensive and defensive schemes, and think outside of the box if they want to put together a winter to remember.

It’s always important to get a confident and fast start to your season. At the high school and some collegial levels, the first few games of the year are always “feel out” games. These contests are put in place to help everyone understand what it’s like to play at which-ever level and where they individually stand compared to the rest of their roster. In the article below I am going to highlight a handful of the best games of Week 1 throughout the state.

Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!

Lincoln North Star (17-8) VS Bellevue West (22-6)

When & Where: November 30th – 5:30PM – Bellevue West High School

The biggest or most important game to start the season at the high school level in the state of Nebraska in my opinion is the matchup between Lincoln North Star VS Bellevue West. This contest will take place on November 30th @ Bellevue West and it’s sure to be an interesting one. Last season these two team faced off against each other once and West ended up winning by the slim margin of 5 points. In a game that is going to have 5-7 collegiate basketball players on the floor at all times, it’s sure to be a contest that has some fireworks. Something both parties in this altercation need to understand is that a contest like this early on in the year can only do you good moving forward. It’s not going to kill your playoff hopes if you lose and no matter what, it’ll definitely show you what you need to work on moving forward. It’s going to only be the first day of the season but this game is a great way to tip it off.

Millard North (23-3) VS Pius X (18-6)

When & Where: November 30th – 5:45PM – Pius X High School

Millard North and Pius X is going to be a fun contest to watch to start the season not only because of the possibilities of how close the game will actually be but more-so because all of the best players on the floor are VERY familiar with each other from prior experiences on the AAU circuits growing up. Both groups will need to find 2-3 more producers on their team this season and it’ll be interesting to see how they adapt to that in Game 1. Millard North has a deeper bench with more freshman who saw the floor a year ago, while Pius X is going to try and run the courts a high rate because of how guard heavy they seem to be. These two programs didn’t face off last winter so there isn’t a recent example of past events to refer to, from an analytic perspective. Anything can happen here and I’m excited to see what each group can make the most of.

Pender (27-3) VS Wakefield (17-8)

When & Where: November 30th – 6:00PM – Wakefield High School

When Pender and Wakefield met to begin last season, the Pendragons weren’t coming off of a State Title like this time around but that won’t scary the Trojans. They are going to have a chip on their shoulder and be looking for revenge after losing by 14 on the road to start last season @ Pender. The circumstance that Wakefield falls victim to is size. They seem to only have 8-9 players on their varsity roster and this can cause a problem in certain situations. Against teams like Pender, that has elite guard play that can match the Trojans quickness, they need to do something creative to create an advantage for themselves. Something like a new zone, or certain type of strategical point. I’m not sure what it is but if they can figure it out come game time, I think that Pender will have to be careful. If either team comes in and doesn’t take the other seriously, the result will be lopsided. Hopefully that doesn’t happen but we will have to wait and see.

West Point-Beemer (11-12) VS Yutan (22-5)

When & Where: December 2nd – 2:30PM – Yutan High School

WP-Beemer VS Yutan might not be on everyones list as a game they should try to watch but if you understand the landscape of high school basketball this season and the personal returning for both sides, you’d think differently. Beemer is returning all 5 starters from last season and their entire bench. They may have only gone 11-12 during their 2022-2023 campaign but I think that is going to change up this season. As for Yutan, they will lose two prolific playmakers from a year ago due to graduation. When you read the simple factors that I have laid out above, you start to see that this could be a ball game. These two teams didn’t meet last season and I’m not sure if they would even meet again down the road come playoff time but as for a game to start off the season that has collegiate talent, this is one of the best considering.