With an even split of five returning and four new varsity players the basketball team was ready for a drama free start to the season.

“There was no serious drama at the start,” senior Marcus McNeace said “It was weird not to have any of the beginning of the season drama that there sometimes is.”

The team quickly found their momentum when they won three of the first four games, only losing by two points to Washburn Rural high school. But then the boys fell into a losing streak that seemingly came from nowhere.

“We hit this weird midseason streak,” McNeace said. “We had originally won a lot; we didn’t know hot to find our mojo again.”

But just as quickly as the streak appeared it was over. At the Saint Thomas Aquinas tournament, which consisted of three games in three days, the boys found their stride once again, winning two difficult games. Then after finishing their regular season the boys moved on to sub-state. After a loss against Stilwell Blue Valley, the boys’ state championship run was over.

“We were surprised; we didn’t think would come down to the wire,” McNeace said. “It was overwhelming. We didn’t think we would win the , but we still had the mentality that we could.