On Tuesday, February 9, Lake Stevens and Mount Vernon faced off for the boys varsity basketball senior night. Taking place in the LSHS gymnasium, this game not only celebrated the players who will be graduating in the near future, but also secured Lake Stevens the fourth bracket in the playoffs.

Although a meaningful win, the team had to be persistent in achieving it because this was not the two teams’ first matchup with each other.

“The first time we played [Mount Vernon] there were a lot of turnovers. This game, everyone was just saying to be patient, and our coaches were just telling us to be patient, and I think that’s what helped us win this game,” said senior Dante Lewis.

The night had opened with a celebration of the seniors on the team, as the cheerleaders and other team members lined up and cheered the seniors down the court. The seniors honored included Loagan Bremner, Dante Lewis, Josh Perry and Conor Widmann.

“It was a great night. We were able to honor seniors that we love and have contributed greatly to our program. They all played and inspired well.  We were also able to clinch a first round home playoff game with the win,” said Varsity Basketball Coach Mark Hein.

The Vikings defeated Mount Vernon 63-50.

“I think we just really played smart and together that game. We had a really improved season this year and the the players really bought into what we were doing. It was a really fun season overall,” said junior Trey Pavitt.

The team’s strengths had really shown that night.

“Our chemistry was strong.  The guys liked each other and played for each other.  We also played extremely hard.  This is one of the hardest working groups we have had.  We also were an extremely good free throw shooting team, breaking a school record for percentage this year.  We also had some very good perimeter shooters and shot a very good percentage from the 3 point line,” said Hein.

Following the Senior Night game, the Vikings went on to districts where they had close games with Mariner High School and Jackson High School. Both of these games resulted in losses for the Vikings; the Mariner matchup ended 42 -45 and the Jackson matchup ended/finished  61-62. These two losses didn’t take away from the strong season the Vikings had.

In spite of this, the seniors looked back on their seasons as Viking basketball players with fondness and no regrets. This being some of the players’ senior year puts pressure on them in positive ways, such as leaving a legacy and having a strong senior leadership on the team.

“Senior leadership was awesome. Dante Lewis and Josh Perry were incredible captains. Through the summer, fall and winter, they worked to create a positive culture. They were also able to create a lot of chances for the guys to hang out together, bond, etc.  We also had positive, quiet leadership from Loagen Bremner and Conor Widmann,” said Hein, “In the recent past we have been a program that has participated in state tournaments, won district and league titles, etc. The last two years we have not been in those situations. Our theme this year was ‘A New Chapter.’ We wanted to re-establish the culture of our program, get back to the postseason, and have high expectations of performance and winning. These guys and this team truly did those things. I am proud of them for overcoming an injury to Josh Perry that was hugely significant to our success, and find ways to win and get into the postseason. I loved coaching these guys and had fun with them,” said Hein.