2019-2020 Boys State Tournament Recap - Class A

The Hype surrounding this tournament had been building all season. So many intriguing story lines had been brewing all season. Is Millard North the most talented team the state has ever seen? Could Omaha South repeat as champions after returning nearly everyone? Could Omaha Central’s lethal offense be stopped? Could Chucky Hepburn and Bellevue West finally get the job done after falling short the past 2 years? Could Auburn and BRLD go back-to-back? This was shaping up to be the greatest state tournament Nebraska had ever had.

But 5 letters, one dash, and 2 numbers changed everything.

COVID-19 forced the tournament to be closed to immediate family only. Schools had to create lists of approved fans and only on those lists could attend the game. No cheerleaders, no pep bands, no student sections, none of that. The atmosphere of the tournament dropped like an anvil. All the incredible plays and thrilling victories wouldn’t be met with the cheers of thousands, but instead by maybe 100 people, if lucky enough to get that big of a crowd. Teams were forced to create their own energy and excitement. It put a whole new challenge on an already stacked tournament. But the best teams had to prove that they were capable of playing in any environment. And these 6 teams proved just that.

Class A champion: Bellevue West (24-3)

Tournament MVP: Chucky Hepburn (2021) 15.3 PPG 4.3 RPG 9.3 APG 3.7 STL/G

Chucky Hepburn showed why he is a Wisconsin Commit, leading his team to their first state championship since 2014. His passing ability was second-to-none, as shown by his 9.3 assists per game mark. His game against Westside was one of the impressive of the tournament: 28 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 0 turnovers. Extremely impressive numbers against a very skilled Westside team. And even in the championship game when his shot wasn’t falling, he made the plays that won them the game. He dished out 9 assists, played some tremendous defense and made plays under pressure. For example the last possession of the game for Millard North. Chucky’s assignment was Hunter Sallis, a 5-Star recruit, top-20 player in the nation, and an incredibly tough player to guard. With 8 seconds left, Chucky rejected a high ball screen from Jasen Green, forced Hunter Sallis to pick up his dribble, nearly travel, and throw a tough pass with under 4 seconds to go, which lead to the missed floater and a Bellevue West win. Chucky is as tough as they come. You could argue that Frankie Fidler deserves Tournament MVP, as he averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, and gave Bellevue West the lead with 22 seconds left on 2 free throws, but Chucky’s plays that didn’t show up in the box score is what earns him MVP honors.

How they got here:

Bellevue West’s season ended in the semifinals last year, with a loss to Omaha Central in a game that was quite ugly for the Thunderbirds. This game put a chip on their shoulder. They started the season with a convincing 82-38 win at home vs Fremont, and completed the Early Bird tournament victory with a 69-62 win over Omaha Westside. The first loss of the season was a big one, 71-49 against Omaha South. Chucky Hepburn was in concussion protocol, so he did not play in this game. One would imagine the score would be a little different if Chucky would’ve played. There was a 3 game stretch that really proved that they were a serious front runner for the Class A championship: An 85-84 OT win at Omaha Westside, a 75-56 win over Creighton Prep, and a 74-67 win over Omaha Central. All 3 of those teams were state-qualifying teams. Their 1st round district match-up was a 75-41 win over Norfolk, and they clinched the #1 overall seed with a 68-58 win over Lincoln Southeast. In the first round of state, they blitzed 8 seed Elkhorn at the start, took the foot off the gas for the 2nd quarter, and still won by 21. Against Omaha Westside, they fell down 5-2 early, but never looked back, as they lead by as much as 25 in that game, and earned a spot in the state championship with an 89-70 victory over the 4th seeded Warriors. Their opponent in the championship would be none other than Millard North, a team they had lost to by 10 earlier in the season. The game started out faced paced, as both teams traded buckets early on. Millard North was slowly starting to pull away throughout the game. But early in the 3rd quarter, Mustang point guard Jadin Johnson picked up his 4th foul, which forced him to sit the bench for an extended period of time. Millard North looked to be in control with 4 minutes left, as they were up 62-48. Enter Josiah Dotzler. A 6’1 freshman backup point guard for Bellevue West. He had never played in this big of a spotlight in his life before. So what did he do?

He made the most of it.

Dotzler hit 2 free throws, then a 3, then another 3 from the exact same spot. A personal 8-0 run in a span of 53 seconds for the freshman put Bellevue West right back in it, as they were now only down 62-56 with 2:54 left. Chucky Hepburn gets 2 assists late, including the pass to John Shanklin, A Black Hills State Commit, to tie the game with 1:07 left. Bellevue West gets a stop, and Frankie Fidler gets put on the line in a tie ball game with 22 seconds left and a chance to give his team the lead in the state championship. Both free throws fall. Bellevue West leads 64-62 with 22 seconds left. Millard North has, by my count, 7 players with college offers/interest, so it is safe to say they have a lot of options to go with. They decide to go with Hunter Sallis. Hunter dribbles the ball to the right wing with 10 seconds to go, gets a high ball screen from Jasen Green, but can’t use it due to the defense of Chucky Hepburn. Sallis is forced to throw a tough pass with 4 seconds left to Jasen Green, who drives baseline, and puts up a floater, which ends up falling short. Ballgame. Bellevue West pulls off a miracle and wins the Class A state championship after scoring the last 16 points of the game. A fitting end to an exciting Class A season.