According to senior Keyshon Howard, Richfield hasn’t been a top competitor in the past. But the team is improving and Park plans on entering the game prepared.

“They haven’t been too good these last few years but they picked up a couple people and they’re a team we can’t take lightly, otherwise we could come out and lose pretty easily, so we’ve got to play them just like any other team,” Howard said.

Senior Adam Bauer said the game against Richfield is important because it is one of Park’s conference rivals, not just in basketball, but all sports.

“They’re always a team that we look forward to playing in all sports, because they’re a rival for us and it’s always back and forth between us in sports. They’re an important rival for us because they’re in our conference,” Bauer said.

According to Howard, the team has to start off the game with a lead and keep the momentum going if they want to beat Richfield on Thursday.

“We’ve got to play together and come out strong. I think if we come out strong and go up on them, take an early lead and just keep playing strong throughout the game and don’t let them come back,” Howard said.

According to coach David Breitenbucher, the team has grown closer recently, leading them to work together more efficiently on the court and has formed a bond between the players on the team.

“I think our togetherness right now (is a strength). Over the last couple weeks, we seem to be getting closer as a team. As far as knowing where each other’s going to be, certain plays, and the offense that we’re running, we seem to be more together than we have been. I think that’s huge for us,” Breitenbucher said.

Bauer said if the team plays the game how it plans to not let Richfield get in their heads, then they will likely win the game.

“We need to stay disciplined because I think Richfield likes to play up and down. They like to try to get us off our game, so we just need to stay true to our game plan,” Bauer said.

According to Breitenbucher, the team’s playing has varied throughout the season, but after months of practice everything is coming together and the team is much more talented and ready to play their best.

“We’ve had ups and downs for sure, but we’ve been doing this for two months now and we’re light-years from where we were at the beginning with our first game against Burnsville. We’ve definitely taken steps in the right direction,” Breitenbucher said.

The game against Richfield is at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at Park High School.