2019 Boys State Basketball Tournament – Class B
Action begins today across Lincoln at Boys State Basketball! Here’s a glance at the Class B opening round games involving western Nebraska teams and a look at the schedule.
B – Thursday Schedule
#1 Lincoln Pius X vs #8 Scottsbluff – 8:00 MT
#4 Omaha Skutt Catholic vs #5 York – 9:45 MT
#6 Bennington vs #3 Roncalli – 6:00 MT
#7 Alliance vs #2 Aurora – 7:45 MT
Alliance Bulldogs (19-6) vs Aurora Huskies (25-1)
- Alliance is back at the state tournament for the 27th time in school history and after a one-year hiatus. Alliance took the Class B crown in 2001, and a championship this year would be the Bulldogs second in school history.
- Senior guard Mason Hiemstra does it all for the Bulldogs. A strong player that carries the scoring load for AHS at 22.4 ppg, he’s also the team’s leading glass-man with 162 rebounds and has the highest assist total with 106. Oh, and he leads in steals too with 82. Those who’ve followed state basketball over the years have seen the impact a major star can have in taking a team to the finals and Hiemstra will try to be the guy who caps his career leading the way with a championship run.
- Alliance does have a supporting cast too – guards Joel Baker and Corbin Stark are tossing in 17.6 points a game together and average almost six assists a game. So, on the surface while it may seem Aurora could key on stopping only Hiemstra to win, the Huskies better not let their guard down on his teammates. Add in 6’4″ junior center Bradyn Palmer and his 34 blocks with six points and six boards a game and the Bulldogs will not be an easy out.
- Alliance has a tough draw in the opening round. The Aurora Huskies are one of the favorites to win Class B, a strong team with only one loss this season. Aurora is making its 31st state trip and trying to win its first championship since taking Class B in 1987.
- If you were to make an all-class roster of best players coming into the event, Aurora has a guy who’d certainly make that list. Senior guard Baylor Scheierman is a 6’6″ Division I signee committed to play hoops at South Dakota State. He averages almost a double-double with 20.7 ppg and 9.4 rpg. Blocks, steals, assists…like Alliance’s Hiemstra, Scheierman provides the star power and ability to dominate a game putting the team on his shoulders.
- Aurora doesn’t have the depth of balance Alliance does offensively, which should be an advantage for the Bulldogs who won’t have to focus on four or five key scorers. But Aurora senior forward Nicholas Hutsell who scores 10.2 ppg and senior guard Cade Reichardt who adds 13.0 ppg means the Bulldogs will need to be alert elsewhere.
Scottsbluff Bearcats (14-10) vs Lincoln Pius X Thunderbolts (24-2)
- Scottsbluff has been a regular at the state tournament the last decade and won a championship in 2012. Runner-up finishes in 2013, 2016 and 2017 have proven to the state that the Bearcats are one of the most consistently successful programs in Nebraska. This year marks Scottsbluff’s 41st state appearance. The Bearcats have won eight straight games on the way to state, including a road district championship victory at Seward 57-49.
- The Bearcats have a senior guard named Conner McCracken that tops the scoring at 16.1 ppg. Helping him put points on the board is junior guard Jasiya DeOllos at 13.0 ppg, and fellow seniors Harold Baez and sophomore Dawson Mohr combine for 16.1 ppg. There’s some size in the Bearcat frontcourt with 6’5″ and 6’6″ Chancelor Parker and Sam Clarkson. Those two throw in over 10 points a game and combined for 21 blocks.
- Pius X is playing in its 35th state tourney and looking to return to the dominance that it experienced in the early 2000’s with two championships, its last coming in 2004.
- Senior guard Charlie Easley is one of the top players in the tournament – scoring over 22 points a night and is the Thunderbolts leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg. Austin Jablonski and Kolbe Rada are solid sidekicks with a combined average of 25.4 ppg giving the Thunderbolts three very tough options for defenses to handle.