This year was a very successful year for both the boys and girls basketball teams at HHS. Each team set various records and enjoyed different successes throughout their respective seasons. Of course, some low points occurred as well, but both teams made great progress this year.
Boys Basketball
The season began on November 30th with a three point loss to Seward. After that point, the team was even on the season, winning 11 of their final 22 games for a total record of 11-12 and a .478 winning percentage. Although one of the goals for the team at the beginning of the year was to go .500, coach Lance Creech thought that the record was still a step in the right direction.
“11 wins is the most the boys program has had since 2004,” Creech said. “Although it’s not a winning record we again improved our win total. We continue to gain momentum and improve as a program. Our JV team went 13-5, which gives them back to back winning seasons. The freshman team also had a winning record so the foundation and future looks good!”
Some highlights from the season include two overtime games (both victories), including a five overtime thriller in which the tigers beat Beatrice 81-77. Also, the tigers managed to win 7 of their final 10 games, although that was not quite enough to earn the tigers a berth to the state competition.
Many individuals on the team had outstanding seasons this year and were recognized for it. Connor Creech received All-Conference recognition for his work on the court, while Alex Swoboda, Logan Nordby, Dawson Jacobus, and Blake Aspen all were named Academic All-GNAC for their efforts on and off the court. Creech was happy with his team this year, and he is looking forward to continued success moving forward.
“Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the State Tournament, but we have to have another great off-season of quality work. We need to build our lower levels and develop the competitiveness that will make each day of practice a day of improvement,” Creech said.
Girls Basketball
Like the boys basketball season, the girls basketball season also opened on November 30th with a loss to Seward. The team started the season with two straight losses, but they were able to turn that around down the stretch, winning 15 of their final 21 games to finish with a 15-8 record and a .652 winning percentage.
The team experienced unprecedented success this year, setting many records for a team at HHS. Along with that, seniors Julia Reimer and Tatiem Bender earned all-conference awards for their achievements.
“We had a fantastic team, a great group of girls, and they achieved a lot of amazing things,” Coach Greg Mays said. “We ended up with the third or fourth most wins ever by a team here, we finished second both in our conference and our district, and my seniors have won more games in the last four years than Hastings has ever won in a four year span.”
All of that success made the end of the season especially heartbreaking, when the team lost to York 42-41 in the district finals. The team had the lead and it appeared that they were going to earn a berth to state, until York managed to score the winning bucket with four seconds to go. Despite the heartbreaking ending to the season, Mays can still look forward to next year and expects even more success.
“A lot’s to be still written but there’s the potential to be right where we were this year competing with top teams in the state,” Mays said.
Despite neither of the HHS basketball teams making it to the state tournament and completing that major goal this season, both coaches were pleased with how this season went. On top of that, each coach also foresees a lot of future success with his respective team. Who knows what the future may hold for Hastings basketball, but it certainly looks bright.
