Niles West’s CEC basketball team showed great spirit and attitude during their games against Niles North, Maine West, Maine East and New Trier on Saturday, Feb. 22.

The first game was played between Niles West’s white team and Maine West. Both teams tried ran back and forth dribbling the ball and trying to score as many points as possible before the final buzzer goes off. In the end the two teams tied up with a score of 34-34.

“I think the team as a whole did really good,” volunteer senior Joe Retondo after the first game said. “Our goal is to have everyone try to get the ball and get an opportunity to shoot. I think it went really well. I think we showed a really good sportsmanship and it was really fun to watch. I’m pretty excited [for the next game]. I’ve been doing this tournament every year since my freshman year and I love it. I love to see their reaction, their faces and their smiles when they make a basket or when they win or when tie or anything- even when they lose. It’s fun to see their reaction.”

The second game started an hour after the first one. This time, the team was going against Maine East. Again, West’s white team put in a lot of energy in their play. They went back and forth scoring one basket after the other. Their hard work paid off and they ended up winning the game with a score of 32-22.

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The third game was played against New Trier. Both teams wanted to win the last game of the day. Cheers were coming from the parents, family, friends and coaches on the bleachers as the tournament was coming to an end. West took the last game home with a score of 31-24.

Volunteer senior Armeen Sayani is happy about the win and the performance level of the team.

“It was awesome,” she said. “The [team] worked very hard during practices and they showed great energy and teamwork during the tournament, so it was great to see them win!”