On Tues. Dec. 3 the Niles West Wolves boys varsity basketball team lost to their rivals, the Niles North Vikings, by a slim three points. The final score was 43-46, and upset players and fans alike.

Senior Haris Mackic believes that the team played an exceptional game of basketball on Tuesday and that it was probably one of the best performances the team had this year.

“We played hard, however, down the stretch we had too many offensive mistakes, and we couldn’t pull it off,” Mackic said. “The game was all bad, as we shot 50% from the three-point line, and had good team defense since it was a low scoring game.”

The end result was upsetting for a lot of people, as many people believed that West should have been victorious that day. Many argue that as a team, we played much better than North. People are also upset about the referees, as many of their calls were quite suspicious.

“Honestly, West should have taken the dub that day. To me, our defense was much better and more organized than North’s,” senior Sohaib Rana said. “Also, our offensive play, despite some errors, was also pretty decent, as we showed them that we can shoot from far and close. The refs this game were also horrible, as many of their foul calls against us didn’t even make sense.”

This loss, however, hasn’t crushed the hopes of the boy’s, as many of them are stilled determined to win and make it to the playoffs. Senior Andrew Pabst, for example, has set himself some individual and team goals, which he hopes will be accomplished by the end of the season.

“As a team, I want to win our regional championship and make a run at the conference title,” Pabst said. “As an individual, I hope to become a leader for my team, and I want to take us deep into the playoff run.”

The boy’s next game will be at St. Viator on Tues. Dec. 10. at 7:00 pm. Come down to the St. Viator and show your support.