I knew at the start of the season that it might come down to this.

Defending Class B champion Seward loomed as a heavy favorite to repeat and began the year ranked No. 2 in the Nebraska Top 10. If the Bluejays went undefeated during the regular season, they would stake a solid claim to be the overall No. 1 team.

Defending Class A champ Bellevue West began the season in the top spot, but I had my doubts whether the Thunderbirds would be able to run the table against Metro Conference competition. And as the season played out, Millard West emerged as the top Class A team after avenging an earlier loss to defeat Bellevue West by 23 points.

Meanwhile, Seward continued to plow through its Class B competition with little resistance. So heading into the state tournament, my mind was pretty much made up.

If the Wildcats could capture their first state title and finish the season 25-1 — their only loss to that point coming against Bellevue West in the Metro holiday tournament final — Millard West deserved to be the overall No. 1. But the Thunderbirds spoiled that scenario, winning their second consecutive Class A title with a 51-38 win over the Wildcats.

And Seward? The Bluejays rolled through the tournament much as they did during the regular season, defeating three foes by an average of 22 points to capture Class B once again.

So who is the overall No. 1 team? I’m giving the edge to Seward, and here are my reasons:

• The Bluejays finished this season as the only unbeaten team in Nebraska.

• Seward has won 50 games in a row, the longest streak in the state.

• Bellevue West lost five games, including twice by double digits on its home court.

• Seward has a strong team regardless of class, featuring Creighton recruit Alyssa Kamphaus and future Division I player Emily Cady, a heavily recruited junior forward.

Having said all that, I do wish the two teams could get together and play one last game. But that can’t happen because of the Nebraska School Activities Association rule that says the state tournament officially marks the end of the season.

So any game with coaches present — and what would be the point without them? — would be considered an organized practice during the offseason. And that’s a no-no.

Interestingly, Bellevue West coach Matt Fritsche said the two teams almost met in the Nebraska Prep Classic tournament held in January at Qwest Center Omaha. He had discussed the possibility with Seward coach Tom Tvrdy, but conflicting schedules prevented the game from taking place.

As it turned out, that game would have gone a long way toward determining that overall No. 1 team. And made my life a lot easier.

Suffice it to say that both Bellevue West and Seward, along with the other four state champions — Wahoo Neumann (C-1, coached by Rick Ahrens), Sandy Creek (C-2, Russ Ninemire), Elkhorn Valley (D-1, Brendan Dittmer) and Lindsay Holy Family (D-2, Travis Friesen) — deserve congratulations for getting the job done. And that’s the bottom line.

Prediction update: Only two of my predicted champs, Seward and Wahoo Neumann, managed to take home the hardware. The other four selections were defeated in the finals (Millard West) or semifinals (West Point Central Catholic, Silver Lake, Chambers).

Mention should be made of colleague Nick Rubek, who has told me shortly before the Class A final the past two tournaments that Bellevue West was going to win. The Thunderbirds came through both times, defeating top seeds Lincoln Southeast (2009) and Millard West (2010) in the process.

Nice job, Nick. Now, what’s your best guess on those Powerball numbers this week?

Contact the writer:

444-1350, mike.patterson@owh.com

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