On Friday, Feb. 6, JV Boys Basketball faced off against the Round Rock Dragons. After going toe-to-toe with the Dragons, the Warriors faced a crushing defeat coming up one point short at 56-55. 

“Last game, we did very well on defense, and then we did well through communication and just helping each other out on the backside, ” Charlie King ‘27 said.

Heading into the first quarter, the Dragons gained possession of the ball, giving them the offensive edge. However, Joseph Bibbo ‘27 stifled the Dragon’s lead by scoring a two-point shot, putting the first Warrior points on the board at 5-2. To break down the Dragons’ defense, the Warriors focused on spacing out their plays and utilizing teamwork. Despite the Warrior’s efforts, the first quarter closed with the Dragons in the lead at 17-12.

“When we went down a couple points, we had to bounce back, we had to play better defense and then score points,” Isaac Richie ‘28 said. “[After losing the lead, we stayed focused] by just staying locked in, and just kept playing, trying to score.”

Back on the court, the Dragons scored the first points of the second quarter, putting the Warriors at an early disadvantage. The Warriors continued their consistent efforts by securing defensive rebounds, and driving them across the court. The Warriors also maintained a steady playing style, allowing them to steal back points to decrease the point gap to 20-16. Max Romero ‘27 added to the Warriors’ consistent efforts throughout the final few seconds of the first half with a three-point shot, ending the second quarter with the Warriors trailing 29-26.

[My mindset during the] first half of the game was to start off fast, start off strong, not to start off slow, [and] to make sure that we’re able to not be down by the first half,” Khalil Alexander ‘28 said.

Opening the second half, the pace of the game sped up with the Warriors matching the Dragon’s energy. Alex Page ’28 made two free throws to tie the score at 33-33. Shortly after, the Dragons scored a three-point shot propelling them in the lead at 36-33. To maintain their lead, the Dragons’ defense tightened up leaving little room for the Warriors to score, however Romero was able to breach the Dragons’ defense and score a three-point shot to respond to the Dragons aggression. Both teams resorted to focusing on rebounds to shift the game in their favor. With a minute left on the clock, Bryan Li ‘28 scored a three-point shot putting the Warriors just behind the Dragons to end the third quarter 42-41. 

“The most challenging moment was that last defensive possession when the game was close,” Alexander said. “We needed to get a stop to win the game.”

Entering the fourth quarter, the Warriors immediately claimed the lead at 43-42. The Warriors continued their scoring trend by racking up multiple layups, to follow, the Dragons responded by applying more pressure to the Warrior’s defense to create scoring opportunities. After back-and-forth scoring between both teams, the score was once again tied, 47-47. With two minutes left, the Dragons had a one point advantage, which was overtaken by a two-point shot scored by Charlie King ‘27. In the final moments, the Dragons scored two free throws which secured them the win at 56-55.

“[Next game] something I’d like to do differently is driving more to the basket and trying to get open looks for my teammates under the basket,” King said.

The JV boys basketball team will return to the court at Stony Point high school on Tuesday Feb. 10, to face the Stony Point Tigers.