The boys basketball team began their run in the state tournament on Wednesday, February 25, with an assertive 81-33 victory over Aquinas. The boys entered the arena as the #1 seed in the tournament with a 26-2 record and have lived up to the hype so far in the postseason. Notable victories in the regular season include a championship victory in the Christmas and region tournament, both against Model. The starting lineup remains unchanged going into the playoffs, with the starting five including seniors Brent Bell, Christian Teasely, Cam Selig, and juniors DJ Hall and Jordan Wilkerson.
The boys played Aquinas in the first round of the playoffs and screamed out of the gate strong, up 36-9 in the first quarter before finishing out the first half 55-17.
On Saturday, February 28, the boys continued their state journey with another home win against St. Francis, securing a spot in the Elite 8 with the home advantage. The final score of 69-46 reflects a dominant win but does not show the complete picture. The team was up by only one at halftime, creating an atmosphere of uneasiness and anxiety in the crowd and frustration within the team before the second half fired up.
“We came from the locker room, and we were pretty mad. Everyone was in there frustrated, but we all stayed calm, calmed down and just talked about what’s going on. We knew it was going to be like that because they’re a good team,” said sophomore Zaiden Simpson.
Those feelings did not last long as the boys roared back and swiftly cut the head off of the snake towards the end of the third quarter before cruising to a 23-point victory. The team has a history of second-half surges, but this was of a different nature due to the circumstances and high stakes.
The boys’ team played once more on Wednesday, March 4, in the Elite 8 against Calvary Day. The team is not a stranger to the Elite 8, most recently making it to that point in the 2023-2024 season, but the appearance is still momentous and an honor.
“I’m feeling good. I think we can win this game. It’s really fun. We’re in the Elite Eight. It’s my first Elite Eight. I think it’s going to be very cool and fun,” said Simpson.
Spirit and sentiment are high regarding the Elite 8 appearance, but especially so because it is a home game, an even higher honor possibly never achieved within the boys’ basketball program.
“It means a lot. It means that you worked your butt off to get here, get this, you know. We beat a lot of good teams and we’re not done yet. We’ve got to keep going,” said Simpson. “Take one game at a time. Just don’t look ahead. Just worry about the team you’re playing, and fight it forward.”
The boys fought Wednesday night to come away with the narrowest victory of all season, staying alive in the playoffs and advancing to the final four for the first time since 1994. The final score was 66-63, after Calvary Day came back in the second half, bringing up all kinds of nerves and emotions and requiring their best game possible to finish it out in the final minute.
“I was just focused on not fouling since both DJ and I had four fouls, and Christian just got hurt. We knew we needed to lock in defensively and finish the game, and a freshman stepped up and made big plays to help us close it out,” junior Jordan Wilkerson said.
The team will play in Athens at the Atkins Arena on Friday at 3:00pm, against Mt. Vernon for a spot in the championship game.
“I feel really good about playing in the Final Four. Coach said this is the first time our program has made it this far since the early ’90s, so that’s really special,” Wilkerson said. “We’ve already played this team once, and even though we didn’t play our best that game, we only lost by a small margin. We know what we need to do better this time. We’ll be missing a key player, but the next guy will step up and we’re ready for the challenge.”
Making it this far in the state playoffs is a massive achievement to say the least, another illustration of how impressive the team and their season has been. The brake pedal had not been pressed and spirit had remained high throughout the season up until the end of the game against Calvary Day on Wednesday night.
“Honestly, we haven’t faced a lot of major adversity this season, but now we have a challenge ahead with one of our starters being out. It’s an opportunity for the team to step up. All season we’ve stayed together as a team, and that’s helped us get to this point,” said Wilkerson.