Wildcats fall to the Mustangs on Senior Night
Millard North takes on the Millard West varsity boys basketball team
The Wildcats played a tough game against the Mustangs. Although they kept the score close in the first half, West couldn’t keep up and ended the game fighting a tough battle. “ North’s defense was tough to battle against, ” said Junior Peyton Moore. “ We knew this game wasn’t gonna be easy, but we stayed positive and found a way to score and keep the game close till the second half. With districts so close we are having focused practices on things each player needs to work on. We are working really hard in each practice to know each player’s role and how we all will work together to get the ball to the basket.”
February 28, 2022
On Thursday, Feb. 10, the varsity boys basketball team took on the #3 Millard North basketball team. Before the game, everyone took time to honor the seniors for their hard work this season.
Before Millard West took on Millard North at home, the seniors on the team got recognition for their hard work this season. Each player got to walk out with their parents by their side as their name was announced. Millard West took time to let the fans know what each player’s future plans are after high school, and thanked them one last time for their dedication to the team throughout the whole season.
The game started off with senior Trace Thaden and Millard North senior Jasen Green at the line. The tip off went to Millard North to start the game. North started scoring early with a 3 pointer but Millard West found a way to score some points by getting fouled and making both free throws. Both teams missed a layup, but they each got some points back from their free throws. Millard North came strong with their defense and halfway through the first quarter the score was 5-7.
“We could have improved our defense at the beginning of the game,” senior Avery Moore said. “We kept up with them in the first for the most part, but we need to work on making shots at the start of the game.”
Millard West took a 11-10 lead when sophomore Max Frohloff hit a three. On the next possession, North responded quickly with a 3 pointer to get the lead back . Millard North continued with another 3 pointer by Green. With 50 seconds left in the first, junior Jaidyn Gaius-Anyaegbbu threw a pass under the hoop to Moore to finish the play with a dunk. Neither team scored the remainder of the first, with Millard North in the lead 16-13.
Millard West started the second quarter off with the ball. Thaden tried to score for West with a layup, but was unsuccessful with the shot. North started off scoring with a layup, which put them ahead of Millard West by five. West didn’t give up yet, senior Jesse Cauble gets the ball and puts a 3 pointer on the board. A bad pass by West resulted in senior David Harmon getting a full court pass with an open opportunity to dunk, leaving the score at 24-16 with 5 minutes left in the second. A 3 pointer from Peyton Moore, two 3 pointers from Cauble and a jump shot from Thaden ended the first half with North in the lead 30-27.
“Our boys fought hard the first half and kept up with North,” head coach Bill Morrison said. “We have been working on adjustments to find a way to the hoop and score. The second quarter the boys worked together to hit their shots which brought the score close.”
Millard North starts the second half off with an attempted dunk, which was unsuccessful. Millard West loses the ball and North takes their shot at a 3 pointer which makes the score 33-27. The next couple possessions resulted in a missed shot from both teams. Millard West took their third timeout with 3:42 to go in the third quarter. Cauble found a way to score a couple of 3 pointers. North continues to make shots and their defense stays strong throughout the whole quarter. With three seconds left, West fouled North resulting in them making both baskets making the score 45-34 at the end of the third quarter.
“We continued to fight till the very end,” junior Cole Kirschner said. “North’s defense was more than we could handle. We kept the score close until the third quarter, but we started missing our shots and losing control of the ball which hurt us in the end.”
Millard West started the fourth quarter off by getting fouled and making one of their shots. North’s first possession of the quarter resulted in a layup made by Green. Millard North lost control of the ball half way down the court. Both teams fought to get the ball, but North ended up getting the ball back and finishing this possession off with a dunk. North ended up getting fouled and making both shots making them ahead by 13. Millard West took another time out with 4:37 left in the game hoping to find a way to improve their game plans. Gaius-Anyaegbu made a layup, and Senior Reese Kolar made one of his free throws. With three seconds left of the game, West turned over the ball and Gaius-Anyaegbu ended the game with a layup, making the final score 61-49.
