Niles West Loses by One Point in the Regional Semifinals

The boys varsity basketball team faced Niles North in the Regional Semifinals and lost with the final score of 62-61 this past Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Niles North. The two teams were often tied or one team had a short lead, but Niles North scored their winning point in the last seconds of the game. The team and coach were understandably disappointed by their loss.

The team’s strategy was to be solid, which is when each team member does what they do best and the rest of the team builds off their progress. They also focused on their defense and guarding the other team’s best players.

Even though it was a tough loss the boys still enjoyed the game, “I’m disappointed and sad that we lost the game, but it was an amazing game and I had a great time playing. The crowd from both sides [was] absolutely amazing and the atmosphere was awesome,” team captain and senior Pavlos Stamatopoulos said.

Some members thought that they should have won due to a possible technical foul, it was very tense between the two teams. “The game was a close one and I feel like we could have won if we got a technical foul but it was waved off, so we ended up losing,” junior Davee Flowers said.

Since the team lost the semifinals game their season has officially ended, but even if they ended on a bad note they had a great season overall.

“We had a very good season and we had a first winning record in 10 years so we’re proud of that. The guys we have, get along and are friends. They like working together and we’re gonna try to keep this going as long as we can,” coach Mike Wasielewski said.

Some students reflected on the positives and the negatives of this season.

“The season overall had it’s ups and downs. But, I think the way we ended it overall was how we wanted the whole season to go so I think we became close as a team and finished off strong,” Stamatopoulos said.

The season also generated a lot of wins for the team.

“The season was fun and I feel like our team did good. We ended with eighteen wins and we didn’t expect that in the beginning,” Flowers said.

The students on the team also recalled the lessons they learned.

“This season I learned how to be a better captain and how to be a leader. Also how to be more assertive with my words and make sure that the people that I work with get their work done and that includes myself. And to focus on my work,” Stamatopoulos said.

The season also taught teammates life lessons.

“This season I learned to not take anything for granted and to appreciate everything I have,” Flowers said.

Although the season ended the team learned valuable lessons and ended with a great game.