With a 9-19 record overall and a 2-12 record in the conference, the Wildcat basketball season could be considered a disapointment for the players and coaches.
“(Having basketball season end for a senior) It’s bittersweet,” said senior guard Jacob Berry. “I just wish the outcome of the season could’ve been a little different for us.”
The Wildcats had a very good chance to finish the year with a win with their final game being against a pretty evenly matched up Rogers Heritage (10-18, 3-11).
This was literally a game to decide last place for the 7A West Basketball standings. And Har-Ber thought they had a bit of an advantage after previously beating Heritage.
The Wildcats kept pace with Heritage for most of the first half, but they allowed Heritage to acquire a short spurt that gave them an eight point advantage at halftime. This was nothing for the Wildcats to sweat though. Their previous win againast Rogers Heritage was a second-half comeback.
For a moment, it looked like Har-Ber might pull away with the win. They closed the gap to six points (41-47) about halfway through the final quarter. After mant short runs,the Wildcats thought they had them right where they wanted them. But Heritage quickly stopped the Wildcats’ runs and pulled way ahead with an eleven point lead with four minutes left in regulation.
Rogers Heritage ended up pulling off the win, 69-64.
The Wildcats’ efforts was lead all by seniors. Forward Evan Johnson lead the way with a season-high 21 points. Forward Jon Vaughn put up a solid 17 points. And Berry added 12.
This season was mainly lead by seniors, both p0int-wise and leadership-wise. Vaughn and Berry consistantly stepped up to the leader positions and lead their team on the court and on the scoreboard.
“These seniors really brought a lot to this team,” said junior forward Alex Rice, “We will definitely miss them next season.”
Rice also contributed nine points to the Wildcats’ total.