The West Washington (WW) Boys Basketball team won against Salem in their season opener. The Senators had a dominant performance with the final score being 70-39.
WW and Salem have a tradition of playing each other every year on the day before Thanksgiving. Many treat it as a homecoming as they visit over the holiday to see friends and family. “The atmosphere and energy in the Salem game was top-notch. The kids played with lots of energy from start to finish. They fed off the atmosphere of the crowd and never looked back,” head coach Ashton Minton said.
Winning their first game has been crucial to the team's energy. “Having our first win under our belt allows us to relieve just a little bit of pressure. It also validates to the kids of all the work they have put in so far this season. Everyone gets a little more confidence, and the momentum starts to go in the right direction.
The Senators competed in their second game against Eastern Pekin. WW won! The final score was 59-47.
“I thought we played okay against Pekin. I felt like we did some really good things in some areas, but didn’t play our best basketball overall all night. It was good to come out with a double-digit win without playing our best. This game allowed us to really show and teach what we need to continue working on heading into a big week,” Minton said.
Next up, the Senators will take on Paoli and Trinity Lutheran.
“Paoli and Trinity will be two of the best teams we play all season, and on back-to-back nights. Paoli is very physical, athletic, and long. We have to do a great job of rebounding and handling pressure the entire night. Trinity has a lot of shooters and look to really score. It will be a tough test this weekend for our team, but I am really looking forward to it. It will be good to see where we are at the beginning of the season and get conference play started against Paoli,” Minton said.
WW will play Paoli on December 12th. Paoli is hosting, and J.V. will start at 6 p.m. Next, they will take on Trinity Lutheran on December 13th. WW will host, and J.V. will begin at 6 p.m.