After a mediocre start to the season, the Lion’s Basketball Team seemingly turned their misfortunes around after defeating district rival and top forty-ranked Lake Howell which extended their win streak up to four. After the signature win, the Lions were 13-8 and ranked as a top fifty team in the state, since the signature win, the Lions have lost three straight and have tumbled all the way outside of the top 95 teams in the state, regression to the mean.
Many fans thought the Lions had fixed their flaws, but in these three consecutive losses, the Lions have been marred by the same exact issue: inefficiency. In an overtime loss to a top 50 St. Cloud squad, the Lions only managed a meager 44 points. This lack of firepower on the offensive side of the ball is the reason the Lions have regressed so much from just a season prior, instead of having four players on the court who can shoot from anywhere and provide a bucket at any time, they have at best two.
Many fans might question the development that players are getting within the program but Junior Dawson Boyd stands by this coaching staff’s ability to develop.
“Coaching this season has helped me develop my skills on and off the court, I’m always being coached to be my best whether we are in practice or a game,” Boyd said.
Although this season has not lived up to expectations so far, the Lions still have two games remaining as well as playoffs to heat up and turn their season around. Friday night the Lions play a solid Seminole squad for their Senior night which is seemingly a calculated decision by head coach Ian Young.
Often teams will schedule teams obviously below them for their senior nights in order to send their seniors out on a high note but it seems Coach Young has flipped this narrative to use the advantages Senior night brings to the home team.Instead of wasting a packed house on a lesser squad, the Lions will have a rowdy and dense crowd for a game against a team on the same level as themselves.
Even though star senior Forward Cam Bryant has only spent two seasons in a Lions jersey, he still can’t help but reminisce about his time as a Lion.
“I’ve got so many memories, but my favorites are definitely all my wins over Hagerty as well as winning districts last season,” Bryant said.
As the season comes to a close many fans might wonder if the younger players are drifting off towards next season, but junior forward Conner Collins is still locked in to this season.
“I’m just focused on finishing the season off strong with a good win over Seminole, Maitland, and Lake Howell to secure our spot in the playoffs,” Collins said.
With just three guaranteed games left in the season, the Lions are hopeful that they will bounce back and regain their form heading into the playoffs.
