After falling to DePaul College Prep 38-21 in last year’s Sectional Championship, the Boys Varsity Basketball Team came into this Thanksgiving tournament with the hope to start the season off on a good note.

This year’s team features senior captains Hudson Scroggins, Charlie Engelberg, and Charlie Markee. The Scouts are also led by junior guard Dominic Mordini and coached by Phil LaScala.

After the devastating loss last season, the boys have spent several off-season hours preparing for their next steps. “We were constantly in the gym throughout the off-season, it felt like every day we were either lifting or getting shots up,” said Scroggins.

This year the team entered the Thanksgiving tournament hosted by Loyola and New Trier in search of good competition before the season begins. The boys were able to squeak out a win in their first game against a much improved Lake Forest Academy. The following day was met with a blowout win against Taft.

To cap off the third straight game day, the team faced a tough matchup against Mount Carmel. After a very close fight, the Scouts fell by 3 points to the #17 ranked team in the state.

Finally, after starting the tournament 2-1, the team was able to finish a hard fought week with a third place win, 40-36, against Loyola Academy.

“I’d say it was a great first couple of games and we are playing well together as a team but we have a lot to improve,” said senior guard Luke Sawant.

Being able to start the season off with this tournament is super vital to the team’s growth throughout the season. “I think that the more we play together and the more we understand each other, the more we will start to play efficiently and get going,” said Markee.

This season, leadership stands out as one of the main factors that can propel this team forward. Having nine seniors on the roster helps to better build chemistry and provides underclassmen with the opportunity to learn better.

Following this past week’s tournament, the boys feel very optimistic about the remainder of their season. “My hope for the season is a hope we have had for a while in the program which is to win a sectional championship and I think we have a team that is capable of doing so,” said Engelberg.

The team’s home opener is Thursday, December 5th at 7:00 pm against Lakes Community High School.