Boys and girls basketball season ends, players receive recognition
The boys varsity team won the Illinois High School Association 2A Regional Championship on Feb. 25 against Dyett High School. They earned the right to compete in the IHSA Sectional semifinals against Leo High School.
March 4, 2022
The boys and girls basketball season has concluded, with both teams ending the season on a strong note and some players receiving additional recognition.
After a strong regular season, the boys varsity team won the Illinois High School Association 2A Regional Championship on Feb. 25, beating Dyett High School 58-54. The team advanced to the IHSA Sectional semifinals against Leo High School March 2 but lost 41-74.
Four varsity players were selected for the ISL All-Conference team: seniors Zach Smith and Ryan Duncan, and juniors Ben King and Xavier Nesbitt. Their coach, Andre Battle, received the conference Coach of the Year award.
In addition to the all-conference team, Xavier was named conference Player of the Year, an achievement he views as part of the longer road to improvement.
“It felt great to accomplish the goal that I’ve had for a while. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is winning and losing,” Xavier said. “So you know, it’s great to have, but I didn’t want to really get too caught up in that.”
Looking forward, Xavier’s goal for the team is to advance to and win a game after regionals. If so, that would be the first in Lab history.
“I always wanted to do something that has never been done before at the school, which is win a game after regionals,” he said. “That has never been done at Lab, and before I go it’s definitely something that I want to do.”
The girls basketball season also came to a close with the team ending with a record of 10-7.
Junior Maya Atassi reflected on the season as one of the most memorable ones she has experienced with her teammates in high school.
“It’s just a great, great team. It was pretty small. So I mean, we were just really tight,” she said. “It was just full of love and support. We had the best laughs during practice.”
Along with her teammate, senior Meena Lee, Maya was selected as a member of the ISL All-Conference team, an achievement that she is personally proud of receiving.
“It means a lot because I’ve put a lot of work into this game and a lot of hours into it with my teammates,” Maya said, “and to be recognized in some way like that, it means a lot.”
Meena also qualified to the IHSA State Finals 3-Point Competition in Peoria on March 5. Zach and Ryan advanced to the Sectional 3-Point Competition at Julian High School on March 4. Results will be published following the competition.
