NT Boys Basketball’s season ended after their 61-45 loss to Schaumburg on March 1.
The team accomplished a great deal, like ending the season with a 23-7 record, and they had to face major obstacles as many players became injured towards the end of the season.
“We were all very upset but this one game doesn’t define us as a team. We had a great run,” said senior guard Noah Osher.
“Injuries hurt us tremendously this season. As something you cannot control, it is just terrible to see so many injuries affect our season especially towards the end,” said senior forward Spencer Boehm.
“We always could’ve done better, but we I think we did great and I had a great time with the team,” said senior center Ciaran Brayboy.
Brayboy had been out for the past couple weeks after suffering a concussion, but he was able to make a comeback for Friday’s game.
“It was great to have Ciaran back to full strength,” said senior Chuck Sweat. “He absolutely dominated in the first quarter. He’s the reason we were up one at the end of the first. He was an absolute beast in his final game.”
Senior guard Sam Silverstein was out for this past game after taking a fall at another game and breaking his wrists.
“Losing Sam was difficult, especially in the final stages of the season, but we did all we could to try and move past that. He’s a great player and it was tough not having him on the court,” said Osher.
Boehm explained the team’s preparation for the game without some of their all-star players.
“For any playoff game, the preparation gets taken to another level. We still get the usual two page scouting report a day or two before the game, but we went really in depth with knowing Schaumburg’s sets and style of play,” he said.
Boehm especially highlighted senior Pete Burnside.
“I believe that Pete really stepped up last Friday and throughout the entire season. He was a guy on our team who would do whatever was asked. He was one of the toughest players on our team and all he wanted to do was win.”
Aside from their injured players, Shaumburg’s team also had some advantages that NT prepared for, but they weren’t able to overcome them.
“We prepared for the game against Schaumburg by doing our usual walk through and practice,” said Boehm.
He continued to describe how Schaumburg was able to win.
We had a great scouting report and practiced accordingly, but the outcome was not in our favor. Schaumburg challenged us with their size inside and perimeter players who could defend and on the other end of the floor hit threes consistently.”
“Schaumburg has some really talented and aggressive guards on defense, and we just didn’t make the smart passes to score effectively in the other 3 quarters,” added Sweat
The players reflected on the team’s successful season and noted some memorable moments that the team will carry with them.
Sweat recalled an iconic play of the season. “My favorite play of the year was on defense when I was on the wing in our 1-3-1 zone defense and jumped up to grab a steal. After I got the ball, Silvy started sprinting to the other end where I found him for a two handed monster slam. It was only the second game of the year, but after he threw down the dunk, I remember screaming at the top of my lungs. The whole team was jacked up after that play.”
The Trevians remain proud of their accomplishments while away at their tournaments in Arizona over winter break.
“The greatest memory from this season has to be the trip we took to Arizona. We spent a ton of time as a team and created great bonds with our teammates,” said senior Gabe DeGrandis.
No one could have foreseen the considerable amount of injuries that occurred, but the team believes they had a strong year.
“I thought overall our season was a success,” said Boehm. “We were 23-7, ranked within the top 10 for almost all of the year, and accomplished a ton of our goals.”