Last week, the boys varsity basketball team competed in the annual Parkway West Tournament, finishing second in the consolation bracket. The team began the week as the number three seed until being knocked out in the first round by the number eight seed Parkway South. South defeated West 56-49 sending the Horns to the consolation bracket.
“We were not ready to play and they were. Moving forward, we cannot let our guard down and take teams lightly,” senior guard Wyatt Harlan said. “We need to stay focused and treat every game the same. This will help benefit our team down the road.”
Junior forward Wyatt Yess led the team with 22 points. Parkway South broke open the game in the second and third quarters outscoring West by a margin of 30-21.
“We struggled a lot. Parkway South had more energy from the get go and we took them too lightly. Hopefully we can have a good practice and regroup for a big game on Wednesday against Desmet,” Yess said.
On Wednesday, Jan. 27. the team bounced back with an impressive 46-44 win over Desmet. Desmet came into the game ranked the number nine team in the St. Louis area, one spot behind the Longhorns. However, Desmet jumped out to an early 27-16 lead at half.
“In the first half we came out and let Desmet do whatever they wanted. They drove to the basket for layups and moved the ball around for three pointers. In the second half we were more aggressive. We made stops and got buckets when we needed to,” senior guard Henderson Faulkner said.
The Longhorns trailed by as much as 18 during the contest. Behind senior guard Caleb Socha’s three point shooting, the team was able to prevail to a come from behind victory. Socha led all scorers with 15 points, all which were from three pointers.
“We were not ready to play in the first half, but at halftime we all talked and got more focused and knew we could win,” Socha said. “That sparked everyone in the second half and we were able to have a big come from behind win.”
Sophomore guard Jack Swiney played against his former school, Desmet, for the first time since transferring in the fall.
“It was fun being able to see some old friends. I wished them the best of luck on the rest of their season. It is always hard to play against your friends, but at the end of the day you have to treat them like any other opponent,” Swiney said.
West went on to play Lafayette for the consolation championship on Friday, Jan. 29.
The team was defeated by the Lancers 53-50.
“This tournament was really helpful for us. There was great competition in every round. We are all disappointed about going 1-2, but it serves as a great learning experience for the team,” senior forward Nick Lathrop said.
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