The boys basketball team is looking to bounce back after a slow start. After a rough start in preseason play, the team started league play strong with a 59-54 victory over Ramona.
Junior Mike Nelson describes the thrill of finally getting the monkey off their shoulder with a win.
“It’s very exciting to get our first win,” Nelson said. “We’ve been working really hard and we knew that it would pay off after a while. We knew that if we stuck to the game plan, we would be able to put up a win and beat them [Ramona].”
Nelson, along with juniors Max Shulman and Lewis Sheffield lead the team in points scored. Although the team has had problems with free throw shooting, sophomore J.C. Buford has been a bright point with an 81% free throw percentage as of Jan. 15.
The team is relying on their youth to propel them. Senior captain Kyle Eckman understands that the basketball program is rebuilding for the future.
“We only have three seniors left,” Eckman said. “It is definitely more pressure for the seniors to step up and lead the team. But I think next year and the year after we’ll have a really strong team.”
Although the losses have piled up for the team, it should be mentioned that a handful of those losses have come in closely contested matches.
One notable match was the heartbreaking home loss to rival Westview on a last second shot.
“The Westview game was nuts,” Nelson said. “The arena was packed and there was a whole bunch of stuff going on.”
Nelson recalls the final seconds of the game and the chaos that erupted right after.
“We were up the whole game and then with four seconds left they drove right down and got a wide open layup to win the game and all the Westview players stormed the court. It was just crazy.”
Eckman sets his eyes on redemption for their next match against Westview in February.
“When we go back to Westview, we’ll all remember the close lost and we’ll be ready for that game,” Eckman said. “I definitely think that’ll make us work harder because we don’t want to lose that close again.”
The team continues to work hard in practice with weightlifting, shooting, and plenty of conditioning. Eckman has a unique viewpoint as to the team’s greatest strength.
“We don’t have any superstars,” Eckman said. “We don’t have any real height, we’re undermanned, but we work hard and we’re a team.”
The team is preparing for their league match tonight against Oceanside at Sundevil Arena. They will close out their league play with five out of their last seven games on the road.
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