Scoring approximately half of the 65 points scored, Brandon Trilli, senior, helped his team win the Nov. 26 game with their starting point guard, David Cundiff, junior, out sick. Despite illness spreading throughout the team early on in the season resulting in missing players, the team preserved and beat Portage 65-51. Tonight, the team plays at home against Crown Point at 7 p.m.

“I’m really proud of how far the team got last year, including our win at Sectionals, and hope that we can do it again this year,” Jermaine Coney, junior, said.

At practice, the boys have been focusing on handling the ball under pressure and making sure they are active on defense. Specifically, they want to improve defense when guarding the ball and keeping it in front of them. The team wants to keep improving throughout the season on their rebounding and offensive sets. With a current record of 5-0, Ethan Walker, junior, believes the team’s ability to play smart and aggressively has helped them with their successful season. 

“I believe our team is built around these two things, and I think it is what makes us so successful,” Walker said. “We always have to focus on being mentally tough enough too, not just physically.”

Establishing a sense of community and improving relationships between individual players has been a priority, since there are many new players on Varsity. The team believes that having strong personal relationships with each other will help them effectively work together and make practice more productive. One thing they do to help with team bonding is going out to breakfast together after Saturday morning practices, typically Commander. 

“We go out to eat sometimes but other times we just chill somewhere,” Yaw Awuah, senior, said. “It’s nice to just be able to play with my teammates. I love those guys.”

A general goal that Coach Michael Hackett has is to continue to improve throughout the season so that they are at their best by the last few games. Also, the team wants to defend their NCC Conference championship title. In particular, Nolan Kinsella, junior, has also stood out this season with his defense, averaging 15 points per game. With Trilli averaging 7 rebounds and 27 points per game, he has also shown to help lead the team.

“I love being around the kids and being a part of a group where we all are motivated to accomplish something,” Coach Hackett said. “We have a starting point and we just keep working and working. Together we figure out how to be successful.”