The Lakeview High School boys varsity basketball team has been hungry to get a win in their home opener. They were determined to own their court after their first loss against Howland. The boys’ basketball team always starts off their season against Howland, and it is always a battle. Lakeview did not come out on top, but it is using that as fuel for its first home game. The Bulldogs battled in practice the days leading up to their home opener, making sure they would get the win.
After practicing hard and preparing, the boys were able to pick up the undeniable win against the Champion Golden Flashes. With the score being 73-55, not letting the Flashes come close. The two team captains led the team to victory, securing their first home win!
Team captain, senior Matthew Leonard, took the staggering question, What was your mindset going into the Champion game after the loss against Howland? He claims, “That we just had to come out and play hard and not to overlook them.”
Leonard also adds, “It feels great to get our first home win, especially as a senior and captain.”
Even though the Bulldogs prepared hard for this game, they knew that the Flashes were going to be no match for them. Each player had to do their job and put trust in one another in order to get the win.
Team captain, senior Isaiah Lantz, was asked How does it feel to get the first home win of the season against Champion? Lantz asserts, “It feels great. It’s always good to get a win at home, especially the home opener.”
Isaiah adds, “It builds a lot of confidence and gives us momentum going into the year.”
For the boys, this is a huge accomplishment for them because it will build the team’s confidence going into the rest of the season. You can see the confidence because of their second win, also coming at home just the other night against Badger.
During the game, a player from the Bulldogs surpassed a record for the most steals in a single game. The current record was set in 2023 by Kyle Senkowitz with 9 steals in a single game. Now the record is 12.
Senior Brandon Toot was questioned, How does it feel to break the steal record in a single game? He emphasizes, “It feels great. It was something I didn’t expect that was going to happen, but I’m glad it did.”
It is incredible to see that Toot was able to surpass this record, considering this is his first year playing since he was in 8th grade. It is very cool to see the Lakeview senior succeed, even though Toot did not play all four years.
The starting five for the game was Lantz, Toot, Leonard, senior Asa Lantz, and junior Trace Goyzueta. During the game, Isaiah Lantz led the charge for the Bulldogs, and he was able to score an incredible 21 points for the team. This was a huge help to the team’s victory along with Leonard being able to pull down six rebounds, and Goyzueta was able to dish out five assists during the game for the Bulldogs.
Going forward into the year,r the Bulldogs hope to continue the grind on the court to protect their home court. They are dedicated to continuing to keep working hard on and off the court, and each game they strive to be better as a team.
With their win against Badger and moving forward into their game against South Range, they hope to keep the momentum and mindset on the court going into their first conference game.
