Toughness is the team motto this season for Varsity Boys’ Basketball. They have been through a whirlwind of challenges on and off the court, but have fortunately always overcome. This year’s tight-knit bunch has the ability to have fun one minute and get down to business the next, which has brought [re]bountiful success for the team’s dynamic.

Experience is a big factor in high school sports. It’s different from club or anything one might be coming from because of the unique competition aspect. This is true for even those moving up from JV to varsity.

“We’ve got a fairly new group,” coach Roger Stirtz said. “We’ve got a couple of starters back, Jalen and Clayton Adams, but everyone else is in a whole different role and I’ve been very proud of them.”

Stessman Tournament

This is the 46th year LHS has hosted the Stessman tournament and the Varsity Men’s Basketball team is banking on some slam dunk wins.

“The expectation is always to try our best and test ourselves against everybody else,” senior Alex Tison said. “The Stessman tournament is always going to be a tough tournament, so we’re excited for that. The goal is to go out there and play as hard as we can to prove ourselves as the better team.”

Although the Jays suffered a loss first round, they were ready to rally back.

“Lee’s Summit North is a good team and we allowed them to score most of their points in the paint,” sophomore Grant Houston said. “We were very disappointed to lose the first game of our home tournament but we’re motivated to redeem ourselves.”

The Jays clenched a fifth place finish overall out of eight teams and look to build on their growing team chemistry.

“We’re a pretty tight-knit group,” Tison said. “We can all have some fun

together, but we also know how to get down to business.”

Conference Play

As if Friday the 13th isn’t a dreadful enough day already, it did a whammy on the boys’ game that night too. The scheduled game against St. Joe Central was postponed due to winter storm Jupiter’s anticipated detriment. Instead of taking on the Indians at home, the Jays just stayed home.

Weather is no obstacle when it comes to practicing overtime, however. They practice for two and a half hours every week night in either Cokely or the Fieldhouse. They focus on what they need to improve on so that they have the best chance of shutting opposing teams down with each game. Before tip-off, players discuss goals and game plans. At halftime, they reflect on what has worked and what has not.

The Jays and Eagles went head-to-head on Friday, January 27. The final score was not available by press time. Junior Jalen Lewis was especially excited for the rivalry.

“There was a big crowd which is always motivating,” Lewis said.

The Crosstown Cup standings have been updated.