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Grace Jackman

Senior Liam Hanson (1) is escorted by his parents before the game to celebrate senior night. He will miss “hanging out with [his] boys and going out to eat after games and practices.”

On Friday, Feb. 7, the boys varsity basketball faced off against Zion-Benton in the main gym after coming from a tough loss with the Waukegan Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The Wildcats showed their perseverance and came around by winning the game with a final score of 65-42. The team celebrated senior night, allowing the seniors to have the opportunity to be credited for all of their hard work over the past four years with senior night festivities including a cheer tunnel and spotlight.

The game started slow, allowing Zion-Benton to get in the lead, eventually getting to a tie of 25-25 with one minute left in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, Zion-Benton pulled ahead, winning slightly by 26-28.

“Our shots started falling and started feeling more comfortable,” Coach Zyrkowski said, who is entering his 8th year as the Varsity Head Coach. “And I thought we could be more aggressive. We weren’t in the beginning, and that was one of our biggest challenges we had to overcome.”

Eventually, Libertyville proved its perseverance with a score of 40-36 with two minutes left of the 3rd quarter, soon making the crowd go wild when the team made it to 49-39 by the end of the 3rd quarter.

“We went into a zone that we played a little bit that changed the temporal momentum of that game,” Coach Zyrkowski said.

The team’s close bond, especially among the seniors tonight, proved to be successful in the end, with senior Stevan Gavric (11) finding this bond to be what always gets him motivated each day. In addition to the bond between the players within the game, outside the gym also plays a big role in their performance.

“For me, I would say the countless hours in the gym, [and] watching [the] build in the weight room, it honestly helps me when I’m out here,” junior Ryan Faiz (5) said.

The team’s mindset around the game involves a mix of confidence and preparation, allowing them to lead the team to success as they did tonight.

“I know I can hit the shot,” senior Ryan Thompson (3) said. “I practice all the time. But for instance, today I started zero for fourth [quarter]…I [have] to know that I can hit the shot.”

As the team lets go of seven seniors, they will have some big shoes to fill, especially among the eight juniors.

“It just means a lot being on this team and supporting my teammates,” Faiz said. “So I just feel…supporting my teammates through the offseason will really help us next year.”

The Wildcats will go on to play their next home game against Lake Forest, eventually leading to the IHSA Regional on Feb. 26 in the main gym.

“I think we are continuing to get better and better,” Coach Zyrkowski said. “We can keep improving in working areas. We’ll be ready. I think right now, we’re just preparing for that first round game and playoff team.”