The boys’ basketball season at Notre Dame Academy has come to a close.
The Tritons were defeated in the Sectional Finals by Slinger, the same round and same outcome as a year ago.
Slinger dictated the pace from the very beginning of the game and it never allowed the Tritons to get back on their feet.
For the senior players, the loss had a greater significance than just another ending to the season.
The majority of the seniors have spent the past four seasons working toward creating something together ever since they stepped through the atrium doors of Notre Dame Academy.
“At first I didn’t understand,” said senior Alex Ciak. “I did not realize it until our banquet. It was the last time we gathered together as a team.”
Getting to the sectional final was not an easy task.
The week prior the Tritons took down West De Pere, using their defense and trusting each other when the game became tight.
With a timely timeout called by Head Coach Brian Bobinski, the Tritons regained composure when it counted.
“We have practiced these kinds of situations every day in practice,” said senior Leo Weber. “This helped us feel more confident that we can hang with those types of teams.”
When asked what he thought about all the talk coming from the Phantoms side, Weber chuckled before saying, “West De Pere played a good game. However, we let the score board tell the story.”
West De Pere’s football team defeated NDA’s football team for the state championship, so this win let the Triton seniors walk away with the last laugh.
Slinger presented a different kind of challenge for the basketball team though.
The Tritons were unable to replicate the kind of dominant performance they put up against West De Pere, which resulted in Notre Dame being knocked from the playoffs.
One thing that set this senior class apart from others, though, is that they were still able to be leaders throughout this game.
While there were several players who showed up and averaged 20 points per game, there were also seniors whose main focus was setting a great example for the younger players and portraying leadership effortlessly.
“This method of thinking about basketball is a part of our team identity,” Ciak stated.
With the departure of the seniors, the ones returning must pick up the slack and step forward to lead.
“Take pride in what you’ve experienced this year because it will come and go faster than you think,” said Ciak. “In the moment, it may seem like forever, but by the time you’re finishing, you’ll realize how quickly it passed you.”
