Boys basketball beats Piper
Jaguars take the victory with a 57-39 win
January 13, 2016
The boys basketball team defeated Piper 57-39 on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at home.
Sophomore Cooper Kaifes said despite the win, he thought the team lacked effort during the first half.
“I think the first half wasn’t so great,” Kaifes said. “We didn’t come out the way we wanted to; we weren’t pressing as much.”
Though the Jaguars led the Pirates 20-15 at the end of the first half, team members struggled to keep their energy up.
“Even though [Piper] didn’t score that much, I don’t think we played as well as we could have,” Kaifes said.
The team went on to dominate during the second half, eventually beating Piper. Senior Derrell McLemore attributed the change of pace to a pep talk by head coach Mike Bennett at halftime.
“We started off a little slow, but after the halftime speech from our coach, we started playing better,” McLemore said.
According to McLemore, the slow beginning gave players motivation to continuously improve throughout the season.
“We got the job done and we got the win, but we need to keep getting better,” McLemore said.
After two straight losses to Basehor-Linwood and Bonner Springs, Kaifes said the victory boosted morale among team members.
“It was a real confidence booster since we lost our last two games,” Kaifes said. “It really helped us out and makes us want to win more.”
The team will play its next game against Tonganoxie Friday, Jan. 15, at Tonganoxie High School.
