West Chicago’s Boys Varsity basketball team is developing. After a hard-fought game, they show promise for the season.
Starting in the first period, the referees made debatable calls. Beginning with a foul on senior AJ Rotger, resulting in the crowd of parents booing. Some parents even yelled to the coach phrases like ‘the ref owes you one next time.’
Just 30 seconds in, the Rebels shot a three, taking the lead quickly. It took the Wildcats time to recover, but they fell short quickly. It was not until the Rebels were up 12-0 that the Wildcats shot their first two points.
The Wildcats worked hard to keep up with the Rebels, but ultimately, they made too many small mistakes.
“Ridgewood is an opponent that fights and plays hard, and I thought at times we did that, but in the end, we turned the ball over too much,” coach Matt Nelson said.
Many turnovers led to fast breaks for the Rebels, giving them more scoring opportunities. The second period slipped away quickly, as they sank multiple threes.
The Wildcats stayed quick on defense to get back to the net; however, their reaction to rebounds is a skill to continue to work on.
At halftime, the Rebels held the lead with a score of 28-16
“We gotta play with positive energy and just keep going on our offense and get the bucket,” junior Joseph Mashal said.
After a scuffle between the players, Rebel’s coach was visibly furious and pleaded to the referee that their player did not do anything. This resulted in numerous yells from the coach to the referee.
The Wildcats were called for a technical foul, giving the Rebels four free throws. The Wildcat fans booed in frustration while the Rebels’ fans clapped, thankful for the call.
The Wildcats had trouble keeping their composure during the game. Many fouls were called on numerous players.
The team is rich with talent; in the future, they hope to bring that talent together and focus on working as a team.
“We have a really good team. Our senior leadership is awesome,” Nelson said.
Senior Tristan McWilliams knows what the team is capable of and believes they can continue to become better with collaboration from every player.
“From the last player on the bench to our number one option, everybody has to buy into what the coaches are teaching us,” McWilliams said.