Taken by Chloe Katzberg
On Thursday, January 8, the Hastings High School’s girls and boys basketball teams met defeat after their hometown rivalry game against the Adams Central Patriots.
The boys team, led by Boys Basketball Head Coach Dylan Flinn, lost their game with a final score of 41-36.
“If we would’ve had a few more open shots go in, I think the outcome could’ve been different,” Flinn said. “We got good looks at the rim, [but] they just didn’t go through the hoop enough.”
Senior Brayden Sawiki, juniors Creighton Sidlo and Ruei Duang, and sophomores Luke Nollette and Clayten Arlt started in Thursday night’s game.
Throughout the game the lineup changed due to many injuries.
“That is all a part of the game,” Flinn said. “You have to adjust, and I thought we did a good job of that.”
Sidlo was the leading scorer with 13 points, and Nollette was right behind him with ten points and seven rebounds.
“I told the guys that I was proud of them. Although there are no such things as moral victories, we played hard, both mentally and physically,” Flinn said.“ We talked about needing to play this way every day [in] practice and games, not just a game against your crosstown rival… [and] climbing up as a team and a program all year. We have to keep doing that.”
On the other hand, the girls team lost with a score of 51-24. Juniors Zara Osgood, Sophia Reynolds, and Pyper Witte started for the Tigers. Witte led in scoring with five points a game, while Reynolds led in assists and steals.
“Unfortunately, we just came up short and couldn’t quite find our rhythm,” Assistant Coach Jami Williams said. “But, credit to Adams Central, they rose to the occasion, stepped up with more focus and intensity than we did, and hit shots that stalled any momentum we were creating.”
Girls Basketball Head Coach Lance Creech agrees with Williams. After watching their performance, Creech understands there are areas the girls can improve on.
“The team played well in stretches,” Creech said. “AC is a very seasoned group, and we are still working through sustaining our positive possessions.”
Williams and Creech are on their second season together, building a new program within the girls basketball team.
“Our program is small, but I believe we are on the right track,” Williams said. “Good things take time and our girls will continue to put in the work.,”
This year, both teams consist of younger members, with the girls team having four seniors and boys team having one.
“We are putting our underclassmen in tough positions — stepping into varsity games and playing at a stronger, faster, and more intense level,” Williams said. “I give them massive credit!”
Both the boys’ and girls’ coaches said the energy in the gym was high and many fans showed up for both teams.
“The energy in the gym definitely played a role. I think both teams played extremely hard, especially defensively,” Flinn said. “Conversely, I think that extra energy led to more misses than normal for both teams.”
