On Friday, March 6 the boys’ basketball season came to a close in the Regional Final with a loss to Hinsdale Central. They finished the season with a record of (17-13) and advanced through two rounds of the Regional Tournament. I have watched years of Trojan basketball teams, but this by far was my favorite group of guys to watch because of their heart and incredible team chemistry.
It all started last summer when the Trojans made an impressive run throughout the summer league beating most of their opponents. Most notably, they defeated St. Joe’s, who is usually one of the top teams in Illinois. The great performance in the summer was exciting and set high expectations for the winter season.
The first big home game of the year was against Proviso West and it turned out to be one of the craziest basketball games of the year. Junior guard Devin Blake made a three point shot to take the lead with less than 3 seconds left but Proviso West won the game on a miracle half-court shot as time expired. The Trojans responded to the tough loss by going on an eight game winning streak shortly after. It tied the boys’ basketball varsity record for most consecutive wins a row.
The best parts of the season were the huge wins against Downers Grove South. The Trojans dominated both games and broke the seven season losing record against the Mustangs.
They entered the Regional Tournament ranked 12 out of 22 teams. They played their first game against West Chicago and coasted to an easy ten point victory. Fifth seed Willowbrook was their next opponent in the Regional Semifinal game. Unfortunately for Willowbrook, the Trojans used their great teamwork and chemistry to pull off the upset and win the game.
After the huge win over Willowbrook, the whole school rallied around the team for the Regional Championship against Hinsdale Central. Students bought over 250 tickets to the game in less than two days. It was the biggest basketball student section that I have seen in my four years at DGN. Sadly, the Trojans lost a hard fought game and their season came to an end.
Their final official record of (17-13) should have been a lot better. They unfortunately lost a handful of close games, not to mention the two games lost in the last seconds to Glenbard West and Proviso West. However, I have never seen a team handle tough losses so well. They always kept their heads high and played even harder the next game.
I will miss the “I believe” cheers, the #benchmob, and everything else that went along with the most exciting season of boys’ basketball that I’ve watched while at DGN.
This season was a leap in the right direction that will set the bar high for many seasons to come.
Jake Stevenson | Sports Editor
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