The buzzer sounds, the game ends, and the team files out with the burden of loss heavy on their shoulders. The boy’s varsity basketball team played a tough and intense match against Loyola High School Detroit on Dec. 7, but despite the 59-56 loss, the team’s efforts were just the beginning of their upcoming season.

Mercer University basketball commit and Captain Anthony Bernard ’23 led the team with 26 points. Not only did Bernard finish with a game-high of 26 points, he also crossed the 1000 career point mark the same night. Impressive and rare, Bernard’s achievement is one only a few players receive during their high school career.

“There were some turnovers down the stretch in the 4th quarter that could’ve been avoided, but it’s difficult to keep playing hard and smart when we have 3 guards playing all 32 minutes of the game,” Bernard said.

Along with making sure the team improves a few mistakes made during the game, Bernard highlighted the team’s prowess.

“We are doing a great job defensively this year which is something we focused on all last year and this offseason so it is good to see that come to fruition,” Bernard said.

Captain Peter Ulku ’23 emphasized his confidence in the team and applauded them for a great effort.

“We played spectacular defense in the half court and we only look to improve upon it,” Ulku said.

Captain Karter Richards ’24 displayed constant energy and drive that night and added 20 more points to the scoreboard for the team.

“We are doing a good job at communicating and sharing the ball with each other so far,” Richards said.

With the rest of the season ahead of the team, the team is feeling optimistic and hopeful about the future.

“As a team our first goal is to win the MAC Red then go on to hopefully win a district championship and make a deep playoff run,” Ulku said.