The Harvard-Westlake (HW) eighth grade boy’s basketball team lost against Crossroads with a close score of 45 – 41. The starters were Hayden Suslow, Mathew Rideout, Jaden Bobb, Benson Fleischer, and Kai Faucher. They played with diligence and determination. Their strength as a team was shown by their effective passing. During the second quarter, this heated game became even more intense. Both teams were making shots; however, Crossroads always remained ahead. At halftime, HW had 13 points and Crossroads had 27. Despite this large difference, the two teams did seem pretty evenly matched. They were both making baskets consistently and had no difficulty running down the court to play a strong defense. Throughout the game, players on the HW and Crossroads teams were shooting and making three pointers. The score was Crossroads 36 – HW 22 at the end of the third quarter. In the final quarter of the game, HW began to catch up and put points on the score board. In the last 30 seconds of the game, the score was Crossroads 43 – HW 35. Ultimately, Crossroads won with four additional points.

Even though they lost, the HW boys still felt that they played their hardest during this game.

“I thought the team’s collaboration was the best I saw all year, and it was too bad that we fell just a little short,” Faucher said.

“I thought that we played well, and that we played as a team, and that we got better as the season went on and that it was a great season,” Suslow said, who scored 30 points for HW.