As 2023 got underway, so did OK White Conference play. With goals of winning the conference for a second consecutive year, the JV boys basketball squad was excited to get going. To add to this excitement, there was no better way to start off conference play than by facing off against cross-town rivals, the Forest Hills Northern Huskies.

On Thursday, January 5, the boys tipped off against FHN at 5:30 PM. By about 5:40, it was clear that this was going to be a lopsided match, favoring the Rangers.  Everything seemed to be going their way, and once they gained the lead, they never looked back. Everyone got in and the boys won 61-31. It was all smiles in the locker room and the boys were feeling great.

Sophomore Seder Middaugh was nice enough to talk to me after the game when he said, “Our defense was good and we played really good team basketball.”

Despite this great win, the boys had to turn around and play a tough non-conference matchup against Traverse City Central, a powerhouse program in Northern Michigan. The Rangers picked up right where they left off against Northern, playing well and together as a team. Despite a late run by Traverse City, the boys were able to take care of business on a quiet Saturday afternoon, winning 70-62. Brendan Cargill had himself a game on the offensive end, scoring 26 points.

This past Tuesday, the Rangers–coming off two solid wins and feeling good about themselves–faced off against Byron Center. Last year, this was the teams only conference loss, so they were eager and determined to come out on top. To anyone at the game, it was a nail-biter, with both teams trading baskets throughout the entire game. It seemed as if neither team could really get a stop on defense, and the score echoed that. After a long three-pointer by Cassius Bont for Byron Center, the game was forced into overtime.  Four minutes later the game was over, with the boys, unfortunately, losing 82-79 despite 27 points from freshman Matt Sexton.

“Poor execution and giving up 80 points was really tough. We really need to focus on our defense moving forward,” Max Holser told me after the game.

Head Coach Ike Tilden echoed Max’s thoughts by stating, “We need to be better defensively and we need to improve on seeing ball and man.” This seems to be a recurring theme for the JV squad, but we know that they can and will get better each day so that they can start stringing some wins together.

Despite the loss, the JV squad still has an impressive 6-3 record for the tough schedule that they are playing, and there is no reason for them to hang their heads. The boys will take the court again on Thursday, January 12, at 5:30 PM at Northview High School in hopes of securing win number seven.