From worst to first, the boy’s basketball team turns a new leaf this season.

This year, the boy’s basketball team made history as they as they played in their first playoff game in over five years. For senior captain Patrick Pear, this was his first time playing in one.

“We have not made it into playoffs once since I have been in high school,” said Pearl. “So this [was] a first for all of us.”

Although the boys did not make it past their first round in playoffs, Pearl was happy to have had the experience.

“I think it was a good way to end my senior season,” said Pearl. “It could have gone better, but at least we made it that far.  It was further than in the past.”

   Not having a strong record made it difficult for the team to stay positive. Senior Nick Scavuzzo wanted to change this mindset before the season even started with personalized bracelets.

   “Back in July, I started making these bracelets,” said Scavuzzo. “Mine says ‘Worst to First’, which is what a lot of people are wearing.”

   Scavuzzo hoped that these brackets would set a different tone for their team.

   “I bought about 150 of them,” said Scavuzzo. “Once the season got close I started to hand them out to everyone. Soon a lot of people were wearing them, even people who were not on our team.”

   Pearl believes that these bracelets helped their team bond better, which made them play better than they have in the past.

   “I think our chemistry this year was much better than in the past,” said Pearl. “We all enjoyed playing and wanted to be successful.”

   The boy’s basketball coach Justin Tardif thinks that the boys chemistry did have a part in their success.  However, he also believes the talent had a huge effect on their wins.

   “We [were] a more talented team this season,” said Tardif.  “We [were] physically better and more athletic. When you are physically better and more athletic, all of sudden, offensive plays and defensive systems now start to work better, even ones that didn’t work the previous three seasons, [work].”

   Pearl agrees with his coach and sees all of the players affect the team in a positive manner.

   “We had talent one through twelve on the bench,” said Pearl. “Every player could have come into the game and contributed.”

   With this talent, it made it more possible for the boys to go into playoffs. Tardif wasn’t too surprised when he found out his team made it the expo center.

   “We played much better this past summer and I knew we had some good athletes coming back this winter,” said Tardif.  “I have been very happy because we faced a lot of negativity the past three seasons, so it feels good to have people talking about us in a positive manner.”

   Tardif sees this season as an accomplishment to himself and his team. He finds himself lucky with everyone who has been involved.

   “I love coaching this team,” said Tardif. “I have great kids who work hard, are coachable, and are good people.  I have an excellent, dedicated coaching staff who has helped the players grow as players and people.  I am really proud of what the team accomplished this season.”