On Friday, Feb. 14, the Lincoln Southwest boys varsity basketball team will face off against the Lincoln East Spartans at Lincoln East High School with tip off at 7:30 p.m.

The Silver Hawks and Spartans are coming off losses going into this game. LSW’s narrow defeat came against Omaha Westside on Saturday, Feb. 8, where the Hawks fell 67-59. Lincoln East, on the other hand, lost by 27 points to Papillion LaVista High School on Saturday, Feb. 8, 67-40. Both teams will be looking to get a win Friday night to gain momentum to end the season.

“I think if we get our offense right, we will be able to do well against East,” said sophomore forward, Grant Meilak. “In our loss against Westside we didn’t get a great start offensively and our intensity was not as high as it should have been.”

In addition to both teams coming off losses, LSW and Lincoln East have the same record of 7-13. That makes this game all the more significant because in less than two weeks whoever has the better record will get better seeding in districts.

“I definitely think this is a big game,” said Mielak. “This could be a momentum shifter for us.”

There are several aspects of the Silver Hawks’ game that LSW plans on focusing on before the two teams clash; and one of them is the Silver Hawks’ transition game.

“If we continue to focus on improving our transition offense and swinging the ball around after transitions I think that will put us in a better spot,” said senior forward Braton Christensen earlier in the week, prior to the Spartans and Hawks facing off. “When we get out and push the ball… that’s when we are at our best.”

The Lincoln Southwest girls’ varsity basketball team will also be taking on the Lady Spartans, prior to the boys’ varsity game, at 5:45. This will be a top 10 matchup, with Lincoln East ranked third in the state and LSW ranked seventh in the state.