The Boys Basketball team won their first regional championship against the Hammond Golden Bears on March 5, 2024. The game was completely sold out bringing in lots of momentum for the team. The large crowd was very reactive to big plays such as Senior Jackson Hartke hitting a buzzer beater 3 pointer at the end of the first quarter to extend the lead to 22-13. The boys carried this momentum throughout all 4 quarters and brought home the regional championship beating Hammond HIgh School 71-49. Starting point guard junior Alexavier Saunders scored 18 points as the lead scorer for the team.
The last time the boys earned this title was in 1990.
At the end of the regular season, the boys finished with a record of 9 wins and 11 losses heading into playoffs. The team faced many tough teams this year such as Sherwood High school, a team in the top 10 in the state. The boys held their own against Sherwood losing by only 2 points.
After receiving a bye for the first round of playoffs, the team made their playoff debut against Wildlake on Feb 29, 2024. After battling back and forth for the entire game, the boys were down by 3 points with under 5 seconds remaining. Hartke hit a buzzer beater 3 pointer in order to send the team into overtime.
Throughout their win during their first playoff game, the team was more composed, keeping the plays simple, compared to previous games like the one against Northwest High School where they lost in overtime.
Head Coach BJ Debuchananne mentioned how he thinks their experience from the Northwest game helped them against Wilde Lake.
“Being consistent throughout the year, not being satisfied or discouraged at any point, has helped us continue to improve and put ourselves in this position.” Debuchananne said.
The boys then clenched a home regional championship game on March 5, 2024.
Despite his performance, Saunders does not take all of the credit. He talks about the other factors that help contribute to the team’s success.
“It will be a team effort for us to lead as a group and the fans give us motivation to compete and represent Poolesville,” said Saunders.
The team will continue their run this Friday in State Quarterfinals against Middletown High School.
