The boys basketball team finished preseason 5-8 and started the second half of the season with region. Playing the Union Cougars on Wednesday and the infamous rival, the Morgan Trojans, on Friday. With only a few practices to prepare they had to come ready to play on Wednesday.
The boys have a new mindset going into region. Keltin Byrd, Junior forward, says, “We are supposed to reset and work on being better defenders. Coach wants us to be lock down defenders during region. Preseason prepares us for region, but region prepares us for state which is the end goal.”
Preseason is about improving, being pushed, learning to work together as a team, and figuring out what works best for their game. Region is when it starts to come together for state.
Wednesday the boys started off strong getting stops on defense and shots on offense. The team worked hard to get rebounds. Many bench players went in and fulfilled their role bringing energy and picking up the team when they were down. Peyton Thornton and Jack Hendrix took charges at the end of the second quarter bringing the Cowboys momentum. They end the half 23-32.
The third quarter was physical. The Cowboys were diving and laying out for loose balls. The boys defense created chaos and turnovers. Many shots were taken but fell short. They were able to prevent the Cougars from scoring and held them to only eight points. The third quarter ends 30-40.
The team brought the same energy from the third quarter into the fourth. The Cougars did the same. Keltin Byrd got a block giving the Cowboys the ball. The team took shots but they fell short, Union gets the rebound and goes on a scoring run. With two minutes left Jack Hendricks gets a three. The team kept working on defense and created a turnover, Hendricks finishing with a layup. The game ends 40-53.
With the disappointing loss, the boys had to make adjustments to their game if they wanted to compete on Friday. Kaylie Gudka, head coach, said “After the deluding performance of Wednesday I really hope that all the players will go into the court with a totally different attitude.”
During practice the team worked on rebounding , closing out, and running plays that would be most effective against Morgan. Bryson Roberts, junior starting guard, said, “We prepared for them the same way we prepare for everybody. we go over there players that could hurt us and each of their strengths and weaknesses. Then we look at what they do as a team and in practice run through their plays. Even though it’s Morgan we prepare the same way as we do every game.”
Friday night, game time starts at seven pm. The crowd is excited, the players are locked in. Mike Troxel, junior center, said, “Playing Morgan is exciting but like every other year it’s going to be a big battle.” Morgan wins the tip off and goes on a scoring run of six. Ethan Powell gets an and one putting points on the board for the Cowboys. Dennis Castagno makes a three. It’s a physical game. Both teams had five fouls each. Morgan knocks down threes. 9-18 to end the first quarter. The boys come out with high energy on defense in the second quarter. Ethan Powell works to create and get to the rim. Peyton Thornton takes a charge bringing momentum to the team. They end the half 23-35.
The team comes out with new mindset going into the second half. Ethan Powell makes a three bringing momentum to the cowboys. They get stops on defense and get hustle plays saving the ball from going out of bounds. The score is 35-39. The team is getting tired and lets up. Ending the third quarter 35-54. Fourth quarter defense gets a lot of deflections. They get two steals in a row. Shots start falling for the Cowboys. They scored 13 points. The game ends 48-67.
The team will play away at South Summit and Ben Lomand next week. The next home game will be January 24th against the Ogden Tigers.
