Boys’ basketball looks to finish season strong
Coach Jason Vallery talks to his team in the huddle during a timeout in a hometown showdown against rivals Hagerty High School on Jan. 8.
This story was originally published in the fourth edition of The Lion’s Tale (February 7, 2021).
A loud bench, fast basketball and many buckets were promised by our boys’ varsity basketball team, and they have delivered. At the time of press, their record consists of 12 wins and nine losses. The morale is looking up for the team with their solid record, and the outlook of the season at this point is positive.
Senior small forward Caleb Barr believes that the competition so far has been good and that team has been handling it pretty well.
“This season has been such a fun and challenging season overall, but it’s been fun being with the boys and playing,” said Bar. “We’re going after it and competing with everyone.”
The team started the season blazing hot, winning seven of their first eight games, with dominant performances against Lake Mary, Orangewood Christian and Pine Ridge. They’ve since cooled down, running into tough opponents such as Seminole and Central Florida Christian Academy, but closed the regular season strong, beating Winter Springs and Hagerty.
Two pairs of brothers, senior guards Spencer and Jacob Rose, and Barr and his younger brother Dawson, a junior and guard, have led the team in scoring. Spencer Rose has notched the greatest number of assists, while the older Barr and senior center Charlie Johnson have been the most prolific rebounders. The Rose brothers will continue their basketball careers at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, after recently committing.
Now that the team is heading towards the tail end of the season, the boys have the postseason on their minds. They will face Colonial in the district playoff s on Feb. 9.
Braden Reyes, a senior center on the varsity squad, believes that they should still play the same way regardless of where they are in the season
“We should be playing one game at a time, and we will end up going to where our potential takes us,” Reyes said.
Barr had a slightly different take on what he believes will be the outcome of their postseason run.
“I think we’re going to make it far into the playoff s and make a good run for states,” Barr said.
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