Boys basketball defeats Tonganoxie
The Jaguars secured a 56-31 victory on senior night thanks to a strong second half
February 24, 2016
The boys basketball team defeated the Tonganoxie Chieftains 56-31 on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Prior to the game, 37 seniors from boys swimming, boys and girls basketball, cheer and dance were honored for senior night. Once the game started, it went back and forth as the Jaguars held a 25-15 lead at halftime.
Tonganoxie went on a 7-0 run in the third quarter to cut the lead to 25-22. Shortly after, the Jaguars responded with a 20-0 run to end the third quarter. They never looked back and held on for a victory on senior night.
Head coach Mike Bennett believed the game’s speed was the leading factor for the team to secure the win.
“There were some times where we didn’t look so hot … [but] we were able to change the tempo of the game a little bit in the third quarter,” Bennett said. “It helped us when we sped up the game and got easy baskets.”
Being part of senior night was surreal for senior Clayton Holmberg, who had been working toward and waiting for this moment since his freshman year on the team.
“We’ve been watching senior nights go on three years before us now. It’s kind of weird to be a senior out there,” Holmberg said. “[The seniors] have meant a lot. We’ve been grinding in practice every day, and we just try to work toward a sub-state championship and get a state appearance.”
Senior Ethan Lane is also grateful for this group of seniors and believes that the group’s experience together has played a key role in their success.
“This is probably one of the best [groups of seniors] in a long time,” Lane said. “We’ve been playing together since sixth or seventh grade and we have a lot of chemistry together.”
According to Bennett, the dedication from this group of seniors has made dividends to the program.
“Obviously we’re not finished, and obviously they put in a great deal of work over four years,” Bennett said. “I value that more than anything else. The work that they’ve put in, working in the gym and working with me.
