Nebraska high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings (2/13/2024)

There’s just one week left in the regular season, and Bellevue West remains on top. Some of the week's top risers include Lincoln Southeast up three spots to No. 14 and Skutt up four spots to 19. Elkhorn had the steepest fall to No. 21, and Omaha North rose to the top five for the first time this season. 

1. Bellevue West (19-1, Last Week #1) 

The Thunderbirds ran off three wins last week. The last two were some of the best of the season – on the road at No. 7 Central and in Grand Island against national power Sunrise Academy (Kansas). Bellevue West trailed by seven halfway through the fourth at Central. Steven Poulicek tied it late then Central was guilty of stepping on the baseline during the inbounds pass. Robby Garcia won it on a hook shot moments later. Jaden Jackson made seven threes a day later in a win over Sunrise.

This Week: Tuesday vs. Papio, Friday vs. #12 Papio South, Saturday at #4 Gretna

2. Millard North (17-2, Last Week #2)

Millard North had just one game on the schedule last week and took advantage of a chance to rest up by blowing out Bellevue East 87-32. The Mustang defense gave up just 13 points over the final 24 minutes. Millard North shot 57% and had 13 offensive rebounds.

This Week: Friday at #6 Prep, Saturday vs. #17 North Star

3. Omaha Westside (15-4, Last Week #3)

Hitting 10 three-pointers while shooting 53% overall was the recipe for an 86-62 win over Millard South. Westside was set to take part in the Heartland Hoops Classic in Grand Island but accepted a forfeit from Denver East and had just the one game. The Warriors face two ranked foes this week.

This Week: Tuesday at #5 North, Friday at #7 Central

4. Gretna (15-4, Last Week #4)

Gretna has run its winning streak to seven in a row with victories over #9 Bryan and Pembroke Hill (Missouri). The Dragons jumped out to their best start of the season at Bryan, building a 23-8 lead through the first quarter then extended that to 44-6 by halftime. Kade Cook (21), Landon Pokorki (20) and Alec Wilkins (14) each scored in double figures. It was a similar story against Pembroke – a 54-27 lead through three before the Raiders closed late to make it appear more respectable.

This Week: Tuesday at Lincoln East, Thursday vs. Bellevue East, Saturday vs. #1 Bellevue West

5. Omaha North 17-2, Last Week #7)

The Vikings are up to their highest ranking of the season thanks to three wins last week including a road win over No. 7 Central. North defeated Omaha South by 31, Buena Vista by 29 then won at Central 56-52. The road win at the Eagles counts as the Vikings' most significant W of the season. North forced Central into 6 of 26 shooting from long range and led by 11 after three before Central closed the gap in the final eight minutes.

This Week: Tuesday vs. #3 Westside, Friday at #9 Bryan, Saturday at Lincoln High

6. Creighton Prep (14-5, Last Week #6)

Prep has answered its three-game losing skid with a three-game winning streak and has won each of the last three by double-digits. Two of the victories came last week against No. 22 Millard West and Rockhurst, a program from Missouri. The home win over Millard West was a weird game that saw both teams struggle to score then score at will during the same quarters. Prep’s 12 threes and six by Carson Jones were the difference. Prep allowed just six in the first quarter against Rockhurst and led throughout.

This Week: Tuesday vs. Omaha South, Thursday vs. #2 Millard North, Saturday vs. #7 Central

7. Omaha Central (14-6, Last Week #5)

Central drops two spots after a tough week that included losses to top-ranked Bellevue West then No. 5 North. The Eagles trailed the T-Birds by 10 after the first quarter but had a seven-point lead midway through the fourth and looked on the brink of an upset. A Bell West three with three seconds remaining then an inbounding violation turned those hopes into a disaster. A rematch of a 20-point win over North from the conference tournament went awry due to 30% shooting overall and 6 for 26 from the perimeter.

This Week: Friday vs. #3 Westside, Saturday at #6 Prep

8. Lincoln Pius X (16-5, Last Week #10)

Pius is up two spots with wins over Lincoln High, Bellevue East and Fremont. Treyson Anderson scored 30 against Lincoln High, Pius shot 10 of 19 from beyond the arc against Bellevue East and hit 12 more threes in the win over Fremont. The Bolts have just one game left on the regular season schedule and have won 12 of the last 13.

This Week: Friday at Northeast

9. Omaha Bryan (13-7, Last Week #8)

Bryan loses a position following losses to No. 4 Gretna and No. 15 Westview. The Bears had a chance to potentially host a district at the start of February but have failed to take advantage of three games against other ranked foes. Shooting 34%, and especially going 4 of 24 from deep, led to a 14-point first half and a 30-point hole at halftime against Gretna. Bryan gave up a 9-2 run at the end of the third quarter against Westview and never came closer than two the rest of the way.

This Week: Tuesday vs. Gretna East, Friday vs. #5 North, Saturday at Millard South

10. Kearney (14-6, Last Week #11)

The Bearcats are up a spot into the top 10 and had won three in a row against top-25 teams before a loss to Papio South at the Heartland Hoops Classic. Kearney held No. 15 Westview to just five points in the fourth during a 51-42 win. The Bearcats were looking for revenge against the Knights for a HAC Tournament loss, overcame an 11-point deficit in the third, a 10-point deficit in the fourth and won it on an and-one opportunity from Ben Johnson with 13.2 seconds remaining. Perhaps still flying high after that one, Papio South brought Kearney back to earth the next night with a big fourth quarter.

This Week: Tuesday at Fremont, Thursday vs. #14 Southwest

11. Lincoln Southeast (16-6, Last Week #9)

Southeast had double-digit leads in the third and fourth quarters at Kearney but squandered the chance to put the game away. A game against Papio was close the whole way but Southeast benefited from 18 Papio turnovers.

This Week: Tuesday at Columbus, Thursday vs. #17 North Star

12. Papillion-La Vista South (13-7, Last Week #12)

After five losses in a row, Papio South looked like it was ready to get back on track following an 83-44 win over Burke. But rival Papillion-La Vista stunned the Titans in a 60-59 home defeat when Bryson Bahl missed a scoop shot after contact as the final seconds ticked away. Papio South put it together right away the next day and earned a win in Grand Island over Kearney, the best win for the Titans since one over Prep on Dec. 8.

This Week: Friday at #1 Bellevue West, Friday vs. #22 Millard West

13. Crete (20-0, Last Week #13)

Crete is one of just three teams in Nebraska that have yet to suffer a defeat. Nine of the Cardinals' 20 wins are over teams above .500. Crete has wins over the likes of Scottsbluff, Ogallala, Wahoo, Skutt and Elkhorn.

This Week: Tuesday at York, Thursday at Blair, Saturday vs. Platteview

14. Lincoln Southwest (13-6, Last Week #17)

A three-win week for the Silver Hawks has them riding a six-game winning streak with just two games left on the schedule. Southwest survived against Columbus thanks to the Discoverers going 5 from 12 at the line. The Silver Hawks were much stronger in a 22-point win over Norfolk and a 19-point victory against North Star.

This Week: Thursday at #10 Kearney, Saturday vs. Omaha South

15. Omaha Westview (12-9, Last Week #15)

Westview had 22 from Tayvin Murphy but hardly anything from the rest of the roster in a loss at Millard West. He was 8 of 15 shooting but his teammates were 8 of 25. The Wolverines bounced back three nights later during a 55-49 win over No. 9 Bryan then held off Bellevue East 75-71.

This Week: Tuesday at Burke, Friday at #18 Papio

16. Norris (17-2, Last Week #14)

The Titans had been rolling right along since a loss to Elkhorn and were enjoying a 12-game winning streak until Skutt halted it 60-57. Norris led by nine at the start of the second quarter and five in the third when Skutt found its range from deep. The Titans responded with a quality 17-point win at Elkhorn North then a 23-point blowout of Lincoln Lutheran.

This Week: Tuesday vs. Blair, Thursday at Grand Island, Friday vs. Lincoln Northwest

17. Lincoln North Star (11-8, Last Week #18)

The Navigators were picking up some momentum and made it a season-high four wins in a row with a 27-point win over Lincoln East then forced 21 turnovers and earned a road win at Grand Island. North Star couldn’t get a handle on Southwest senior Braden Frager and he poured in 33 during a 19-point win for the Silver Hawks.

This Week: Thursday at #11 Southeast, Saturday at #2 Millard North

18. Papillion-La Vista (12-8, Last Week #19)

A win at Benson then a road win at rival Papio South made it four wins in a row. Not only because it’s a rivalry game, but also due to the fact Papio South is 13-7, the victory against the Titans was the most meaningful of the year. Papio nearly let it slip away by missing the back end of a one-and-one but survived an attempt to draw contact for a foul and the shot moments later on the other end. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, facing two rated foes in a row was too much and Papio turned it over 18 times the next night in a loss to Southeast.

This Week: Tuesday at #1 Bellevue West, Friday vs. #15 Westview, Saturday at Gretna East

19. Skutt Catholic (12-6, Last Week #23)

Skutt wasn’t exactly left for dead, but three wins in a row plus two over rated opponents springs some new life into the Skyhawks. They hadn’t won three in a row since early December and were coming off three straight losses when a victory at Mount Michael then carried over to a road win at Norris then back home at Elkhorn. Norris hadn’t been defeated since Dec. 8. Elkhorn was 14-2 before Skutt clipped the Antlers 49-46.

This Week: Tuesday vs. Bishop Heelan (Iowa), Thursday vs. Aurora

20. Auburn (21-0, Last Week #20)

The Bulldogs added two more to the win column and are just two more victories away from the third undefeated regular season in the last five years. And while those were impressive, those two seasons were more defense-dependent. Auburn is still dominating on that side of the floor, but an average of 63 points per game shows it's more than just defense this time around.

This Week: Monday at Wilber-Clatonia, Friday vs. Johnson County Central

21. Elkhorn (14-3, Last Week #16)

The Antlers have the largest drop of any team on the least following a 1-1 week and a loss to Skutt. It’s not all their fault – Skutt, Papio and North Star each had quality wins and Auburn remains undefeated. However, a loss to Skutt makes it lose in three of the last four against foes above. 500. Elkhorn needs to spark some momentum for the postseason and will get a chance with a game against C-1 Roncalli this week.

This Week: Saturday vs. Roncalli

22. Millard West (10-10, Last Week #22)

Millard West was still looking for its first quality win of the season when the Wildcats took the court Feb. 6 against Westview. Dominating the glass 33-17 including 10-4 in offensive rebounds allowed Millard West to overcome 36% shooting. That plus 18 trips to the line made up for an off night. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that didn’t carry over to the game at Prep. Millard West had just three offensive boards and shot 12 of 21 at the charity stripe.

This Week: Tuesday vs. Millard South, Saturday at #12 Papio South

23. Omaha Concordia (20-1, Last Week Unrated)

The Mustangs were on this list to start the season then fell off following a loss to Bennington. That setback doesn’t look so bad now that the Badgers are 13-8 and Concordia has won 18 in a row. That streak includes victories against seven teams with 12 or more wins. The most recent was a 48-46 triumph over 18-2 Doniphan-Trumbull at the Heartland Hoops Classic.

This Week: Thursday at DC West, Friday vs. Arlington

24. Sidney (19-2, Last Week #24)

Sidney’s only competition last week was a 46-40 win over 14-8 Chadron. The Red Raiders had to adjust to regular starter Landon Riddle out of the lineup due to illness. That made it tough to establish a rhythm, but Isak Doty did his best to lead the way with a game-high 15 points.

This Week: Friday at Alliance

25. Ashland-Greenwood (19-2, Last Week Unrated)

AG, like Concordia, is another team that was previously on the list. The Bluejays fell off following two losses in three games. They’ve won them all ever since, building an eight-game winning streak that had reached five last week before three wins over teams with winning records – Malcolm, Kearney Catholic and Platteview. The back-to-back C-1 champs currently sit No. 4 in the wildcard standings.

This Week: Tuesday at Bishop Neumann, Friday vs. Winnebago

--Nathan Charles