The 2021 basketball season was about more than just winning and losing, but about making memories on the court and the love for the game that the players have.
Senior point guard Trey Palmer made another basketball memory when he hit his 1,000th game point on Jan. 30 during the Archie Basketball Tournament when the Wildcats faced off against KC Metro.
Palmer said he was very proud of himself, for this was something he has wanted since his freshman year. He has been playing basketball since third grade and says his favorite thing about the sport has been “scoring on fools.”
The boys team is 7-13 for the season and the girls are 6-10. The players stayed positive through the ups and downs of the season and are hopeful as they approach their very last few games of the season.
“I know it’s a hard sport and all sports come with ups and downs but you have to go through the downs to get to the ups,” junior Taylor Howe said.
The head coach for the boys team, Scott Floyd, said the boys are focused on making improvements as a team and working on being more competitive.
“As a coach, you always want a team to improve throughout the season and we are getting that done,” Floyd said.
Palmer is averaging about 20 points per game and junior power forward Brady Slavens aims to shoot about 11 points per game. The girls basketball team was also performing well, having won six games this season.
Head girls coach Charlotte Beck said the girls team struggled to stay motivated.
“When we show up ready, we play good basketball. Unfortunately, we’re not consistent in showing up ready to play,” Beck said.
Beck hoped the team could stay positive and confident.
“I’d like us to get back some of the confidence from earlier in the season and play with more heart,” she said. “The girls have the physical ability to win more games. Right now we’re working on the mental side: being ready to play, giving 100 percent all the time, continuing to fight even if we’re losing, lifting each other up instead of getting down as a team, taking care of the little things that make big impacts. They’re a good group. I hope they can start to believe that and show it on the court.”
Sophomore Ashlyn Laue said she has made many memorable bonds on the team, no matter if they are winning or losing.
“I just remember, it’s about the fun of the game and we need to just be a team and help each other out,” she said.