CRETE, Neb. -- Crete boys basketball is heading to the NSAA state tournament with a 25-0 record and the one seed in Class B. 

Their first test comes Thursday against Platteview at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Head Coach Tony Siske isn’t worried about the undefeated record and knows it won’t affect his players either. 

“The 25-0 is great but that is out the window. Everyone is going down there and, really, it is one game seasons at this point. You’re trying to put all of your focus on that Thursday game and that’s been our message,” said Siske. “We can’t worry about what happens in the games around us. If we’re worrying about that, we’re not worrying about what we really need to focus on."

Aiden McDowell leads the team in points at 19.3 points per game and credits his team as to where he’s at now on the court.  

“That came from the work put in over the summers and early mornings but it also came from my teammates. They put confidence in me,” said McDowell. “They get me the ball in spots where they know I’ve worked on and they really help me try to go out there and succeed.”

Justus Gardiner is averaging 8.2 points per game, but had to step up as a junior when his senior teammate Ben Ehlers was injured against Wahoo.

Gardiner says he staying focused and ready for the next game at hand. 

“Trying to stay closed-minded. Thinking about next game and not trying to think about the pressure and stuff. Just getting in the gym, getting shots up and trying to get ready,” said Gardiner.

Platteview has made the state tournament for four straight seasons. Crete knows this will not be an easy run through the state tournament, but Siske said his team approaches games the right way to succeed. 

“It’s a few years of work for these guys and this group has really bought in to what we’re trying to do with this program and they have been great leaders of what we expect our players to be. Their off season work,” said Siske. “The way they approach practice every day. And they approached the games the right way this year and that allowed us to have the success we did.”

Crete will play Platteview Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Cardinals hope to be playing Saturday afternoon for the state championship. 

The game can be heard on Ol Red 99.5 in southeast Nebraska.