Boys’ basketball loses to Cooper
Final score of 78-61
Senior Tyshawn Lyons dribbles towards the hoop for a contested layup Jan. 21. Park lost to Cooper 78-61 in a hard fought game.
January 25, 2021
Four weeks into the basketball season, the boys’ basketball team continues to hunt for its first win. Junior Trevor Piehl said the team did not play up to its potential from the very beginning of the game.
“From the second we tipped the ball off, it wasn’t going how we’d like. we started off slow and it never picked up how we wanted it to,” Piehl said.
Junior Evan Donesky said having a strict season with no students allowed at games might affect how the team plays because players don’t get as energized.
“Compared to last year, the pace of the game feels so slow. We need people to help us get hyped up, but with no students it’s a lot harder,” Donesky said.
Assistant coach Rob Griffin said the team’s potential is a lot higher than what was shown at the game.
“We played below our standards, below our talent level, and the first half didn’t go how we wanted it to at all. We had our moments in the second half but for the most part, we just gotta put it all together,” Griffin said.
Piehl said in order for Park to win the team needs to play as one. Piehl said a big part of what’s holding them back is the need for more leadership among one another.
“A lot of us have never played together, so the team feels a little awkward still. It also feels like we need to bring more leadership and energy to each other on and off the court,” Piehl said.
we need to bring more leadership and energy to each other on and off the court — Trevor Piehl
Donesky said although the team hasn’t won a game yet, Park has improved immensely. It has only been a few weeks and the goals of the team won’t correct themselves immediately.
“Even though we’re 0-4, I can tell our team is better than usual; our potential speaks volumes,” Donesky said. “I can tell we’ll see a lot of success in the second half of the season.”
Griffin said it is still very early on in the season, but he believes that if they can play more together the team will be hard to beat.
“Even though it’s a somewhat shortened season, we’re still only four games in. We have a lot of time to fix the teams’ issues and once we do, success will pour in with it,” Griffin said.
Park is set to play Chaska 7 p.m. Jan. 26 for its first home game of the season.
