The Huron Men’s basketball team continues their impressive season and furthers their win streak to six games as they roll past a crosstown rival. The game at Skyline was a highly anticipated matchup due to the competitive nature of the rivalry and it being a top 25 matchup, with Huron ranked 7th and Skyline being ranked 22nd in the state. Huron was able to control the game as they got a spectacular road win on the Eagles home court winning 80-55.
With this win, Huron improves to 9-2 on the year only losing to two highly skilled teams, one of which is now ranked 7th in the new state rankings. This game had huge implications on the next rankings, as Huron moved up a spot in state rankings and they now sit at 6th in the state and Skyline has moved down 7 spots and now is standing at 29th in the state with a 9-4 record.
As many rivalries do, this one brought a lot of excitement and a dominating mentality to the team as they prepared for this matchup. Senior Jaydon Keefer feels that the team mentality for the week leading up to the game was purely to go into their house, work hard as a team and dictate the court with their hard work and skillset. They felt that if they would be able to do this, the game will come to them and the score will speak for itself.
“We didn’t prepare any differently, we treat every game like we are playing a top tier opponent,” Keefer said. “So we practiced and prepared like any other game, respecting the team in front of us.”
With a favorable outcome for the River Rats, Keefer feels as though this game was a huge momentum booster for the team. Winning by more than 20 points against a top 25 Skyline team at their place allowed for a large increase in team confidence. It also allowed for the team to grow more and gain stronger team chemistry as they build up experience against some tough opponents preparing for the later stages of the season. The team felt they were able to do a lot of things well and that they were hoping to do as they kept their cool and stayed patient.
“One aspect of our game that worked well for us that game was fouling minimally, and limiting their transition points,” Keefer said. “I think as a team we were able to key in on our defense, making it hard for them to score.”
Despite all of the success that Huron was able to have, they always feel like there is more to grow on as they face the Eagles at home later in the season and will have to pass through many other top 25 teams as they reach for their goals in the post season. Keefer feels that next time they play Skyline, they need to come out fast in order to get out to an early lead. He feels that this will be crucial in allowing them to control the flow of the game and allow them to get into these habits for when they play other highly competitive opponents. The team is excited to move forward for the rest of the season as they prepare for some fierce competitors.
“I am looking forward to our overnight trip in Grand Rapids, we play a tough team, Muskegon, and it will be a great team experience in our long journey,” Keefer said.
