By: Aiden Hendrickson / Co-Sports Editor
Now that the regular season is over, The team’s focus shifts to March and playoff basketball. Every game is a win or home game.
Postseason basketball brings a whole new level of energy and excitement. Atmospheres alone can change the outcome of the game.
“The crowd and the atmosphere. During the regular season you’re lucky to fill up your home gym a few times a year. In the tournament almost every game is near sold out or sold out. It’s a bit of a different atmosphere out on the court,” sophomore Sam Hirschy said.
Expectations inside the locker room are high. The team believes it can compete with anybody on any given night.
“The expectation is to win the sectional of course. We have shown that we can compete with the top teams in our sectional too. The top two teams in our sectional, Shelbyville and Roncalli, we’ve lost by a combined eight points to them,” Hirschy said.
Keeping the program’s momentum going is also a major motivator. The seniors understand what has been built the past few seasons and want to continue to build.
“Last year’s playoff run was special to be apart of that and to have a big role was awesome I’m very grateful for all of that and the memories that were made I think I learned that the teams that play together are gonna be the teams that go far and are in gainbridge fieldhouse I think we fell short of that I would’ve loved to been that team that won the first ever basketball state championship in New Pal history but we’ve moved on and this team is ready to make our own run we know the tradition and we expect the tradition to continue,” senior Evan Darrah said.
Making a deep run takes more than talent. It requires discipline and playing for something bigger than individual stats.
“The biggest key to making a deep run is playing as a team. Coach Whitaker has made a huge point the last few weeks of taking ‘good shots’ instead of ‘me shots’ and we’ve really improved on that over the last few games,” Hirschy said.
Postseason success also depends on players beyond the starting five. Bench players must stay ready for their moment.
“I am always staying ready on the bench because I know the coaches and my teammates trust me to come in the game and make an impact in big moments,” senior Liam Atkinson said.
Energy off the bench can swing momentum in tournament games. Sometimes the biggest spark comes from players who do not fill the stat sheet.
“I think energy coming off the bench is one of the most important parts of a basketball game. If you don’t have guys coming into the game ready to give the starters a boost, I believe you’re at a major disadvantage,” Atkinson said.
Belief is growing as March begins. The team understands the opportunity in front of them.
“I would just like my teammates to know how much faith I have in them to perform in the big moments in March. I love all my teammates, and I think we all believe we are gonna do something nobody expects this March,” Atkinson said.
