Chris’s Week 2 NE Boys HS Basketball MicroUpdate

Week 2 is in the books for the 2021-2022 Nebraska high school basketball season and we are off to an exhilarating start. There were amazing games all across the great state of Nebraska and I was fortunate to be able to see some of the teams go head to head. In this article, I will point out which teams and players I observed that excelled in the second week of the season.   Omaha South Packers vs. Pius X Thunderbolts Omaha South Packers vs. Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks Omaha South rode the bus 45 miles on 12-9-2021 to defeat the Thunderbolts 67-55. Jacob Martin Jacob Martin 6'0" | PG Millard North | 2023 State NE scored a game-high 18 points (58% FG/six steals) and Rickey Loftin Rickey Loftin 6'0" | PG Omaha South | 2024 State NE poured in 17 points (62% FG/eight assists). South was able to keep Pius under control by applying a firm full-court press, forcing Pius into making mistakes that would cost them the game. Pius did have the lead early on but the Packers continued to get more and more aggressive as time progressed and eventually suffocated the Thunderbolts. Division 1 recruits Sam Hastreiter Sam Hastreiter 6'6" | PF Lincoln Pius X | 2022 State NE & Jack Hastreiter Jack Hastreiter 6'6" | PF Lincoln Pius X | 2022 State NE (Pius X) still managed to have a decent games. Sam tallied 15 points while Jack had 14. This was a great win for Omaha South who is looking to get back to the state championship this season. The Packers also faced off against the Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks the following Saturday. The Packers would fall to the Silver Hawks 78-59. The game was pretty tight until the 3rd quarter. Lincoln Southwest outscored the Packers 19-9 in the 3rd period. The Silver Hawks shot 12 of 24 from behind the arc, while South shot 2 for 8 (25%). Three-point shooting was the determining factor in the double-digit loss To Southwest. Omaha South sophomore guard Rickey Loftin Rickey Loftin 6'0" | PG Omaha South | 2024 State NE had a game-high 25 points on 11 for 17 shooting (65%). had a great game in the loss but did all he could to help his team to win. Perkins had 15 points for the Packers. Grant Mielak Grant Mielak 6'5" | SF Lincoln Southwest | 2022 State NE had a team-high 17 points on an amazing 7 for eight from the field (88%), Lukas Helms Lukas Helms 6'5" | SF Lincoln Southwest | 2023 State NE scored 14 points, and Rylan Smith Rylan Smith 6'1" | PG Lincoln Southwest | 2023 State NE contributed 16 more to seal the deal for the Silver Hawks. Omaha Northwest Huskies vs. Creighton Prep Junior Jays Creighton Prep defeated Northwest High School 73-40 last Friday evening inside the Birdcage. The first quarter was pretty even across ending 15-12 Prep. From there on out the Jr. Jays would remain in control. Senior Creighton Prep guard Martel Evans Martel Evans 6'1" | PG Creighton Prep | 2022 State NE scored a game-high 19 points (8 for 16 50% FG) and Luke Jungers Luke Jungers 6'9" | PF Omaha Creighton Prep | 2022 State NE would chip in a sweet sixteen (7 for 9 78% FG), along with some awesome footwork in the post. Jackson Dasher would shoot a perfect 3 for 3 from three-point territory, his shot looks great. The Huskies were led by junior guard Mekhi Marks Mekhi Marks 6'2" | SF Omaha Northwest | 2023 State NE who is off to a super impressive start this season. He scored 15 points in the loss to Prep on 5 for 8 shooting from the field. He showed a great all-around offensive skillset. He shot well from deep and mid-range. Marks was able to drive by the defense for buckets at the rim and he has a jab step (pictured above) that is guaranteed to create space. Keep an eye on Marks. Jaiden Biesendorfer contributed 10 points on 4 for 8 shooting for the Huskies as well. Papillion-Lavista Monarchs vs. Millard North Mustangs The Mustangs are looking good this year. The returning state champions have a complete roster of team-orientated student-athletes looking to repeat this year. The Mustangs were led in scoring by Creighton commit Jasen Green Jasen Green 6'7" | PF Millard North | 2022 State #153 Nation NE who put up 23 points and snagged 13 rebounds to seal a double-double in the 74-60 victory. Green truly plays the game the right way and is an amazing athlete. David Harmon David Harmon 6'3" | CG Millard North | 2022 State NE is a 6’3" guard for Millard North that has picked up where ex-mustang legend, Hunter Sallis left off. He plays within the offense, he can pass/dribble/shoot on a stellar level, and he can play above the rim as well. He is an excellent on/off-ball defender too. He scored 17 points off of 6 for 8 (75% FG) shooting against the Monarchs and had a highlight fastbreak dunk that had the gym hype! Elijah Gaeth Elijah Gaeth 6'1" | CG Millard North | 2024 State NE put up 12 points, Jackson Page had 11 points, and Nick Dolezal Nick Dolezal 6'4" | SF Millard North | 2022 State NE went a perfect 3 for 3 from the field. Neal Mosser Neal Mosser 6'2" | SF Millard North | 2024 State NE didn’t score much but he had an impressive game with a few "showtime" assists and a "and one" layup off a fast break play. Nebraska standout Kyle Ingwerson Kyle Ingwerson 6'6" | SF Papillion-LaVista | 2022 State NE and teammate Luke Lindenmeyer Luke Lindenmeyer 6'4" | SF Papillion-LaVista | 2022 State NE would have terrific performances in the loss. Kyle came to play! He is seriously a fantastic basketball player, especially on the offensive end. Kyle is a very dangerous shooter, wide open or in traffic! He ended with a game-high 26 points (9 for 16, 56% FG) and shot 100% from the free-throw line. Luke followed up Kyle with 22 points (8 for 16, 50% FG) and also went 100% from the charity stripe. Lidenmeyer moves well with or without the ball, he’s a very crafty student-athlete on and off the court. I loved watching how he sprints back on defense after a score, while everyone else seems too relaxed. Lidenmeyer was very intriguing. Other Notable Performers from Week 2  Isaac Traudt Isaac Traudt 6'8" | SF Grand Island | 2022 State #45 Nation NE | Grand Island High School Islanders | 6’10"| 225 lbs. | Forward/Guard | Senior  Issac is the top college recruit in the state of Nebraska for the 2021-2022 season. In week two Traudt posted two double-doubles. He contributed 24 points, ten rebounds, and four assists against the Vashon Wolverines in the first game of a two-game weekend. The Division 1 Virginia commit made ESPN SportsCenter top play with a thunderous two-hand dunk that left a Vashon defender very vulnerable.  Isaac had 30 points and ten rebounds in the second contest against the Blue Valley Tigers out of Stillwell, Kansas.  Issac is the real deal!  Josiah Dotzler Josiah Dotzler 6'3" | CG Bellevue West | 2023 State #190 Nation NE | Bellevue West Thunderbirds | 6’3 | 185 lbs | Guard  Josiah is playing amazing basketball. In week two, he is currently averaging 17 points a game, four assists/four rebounds, and two steals. With Dotzler playing on this level the T-Birds are definitely in the running for a state title. Connor Millikan Connor Millikan 6'1" | CG Platteview | 2023 State #257 Nation NE | Platteview High Trojans | 6’2" | 165 lbs | Guard Since a freshman, Connor has been top 3 in scoring in the state of Nebraska. He plays with extreme confidence and never seems to be intimidated. In week two Millikan led his team to two victories against Louisville & Elkhorn. He put up 33 points in the season opener and in week two he posted a 25 point game and a 20 point performance. Can you imagine how good he will be as a senior? I can! Other Players To Keep An Eye On After Week Two Cale Jacobsen Cale Jacobsen 6'3" | CG Ashland-Greenwood | 2022 State NE Jayden Dawson Jayden Dawson 6'4" | CG Omaha Central | 2022 State NE   Mason Strong Mason Strong 5'11" | PG Omaha North | 2022 State NE Antone McNair Antone McNair 6'2" | SG Omaha Benson | 2022 State NE Oakley Rosno Oakley Rosno 5'7" | PG Silver Lake | 2022 State NE Tate Odvody Tate Odvody 6'4" | SF Omaha Westside | 2023 State #225 Nation NE PJ Davis PJ Davis 6'2" | SG Omaha Central | 2022 State NE Dakarai Davis Dakarai Davis 5'9" | CG Omaha Burke | 2023 State NE Caden Denker David City Sam Souerdyke Thayer Central (Hebron) Avery Moore Millard West Jaxon Claussen Wasua Jed Hoover Tekamah-Herman (Tekamah) Trey Richert Nebraska Lutheran (Waco)   Check out the photos and video below I captured during week two of the 2021-2022 Nebraska Boys High School Basketball Season. The video contains: Luke Lindenmeyer Luke Lindenmeyer 6'4" | SF Papillion-LaVista | 2022 State NE with the nice drive and finish over two Millard North defenders.