By Sports Editor: Danielle Hamilton
As the Howell varsity boys’ basketball team stepped onto the court the crowd roared, the student section went wild, and you could feel the intensity in the air. The Highlanders, led by head coach Nick Simon, set out to battle Flint Beecher on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Beecher is the two-time defending Class C state champions. Before games began, they were also ranked 18th throughout all of Michigan high schools.
The majority of the game was close in score. The lead went back and forth between Howell and Beecher several times throughout the game. At the end of the first quarter, the score was 14-12, Beecher with the lead. Going into halftime, the teams were all tied up at 21. Howell’s shooting was off to a slow start, but they picked it up with a 37-point second half.
During the second half, the Highlanders went on a run and had the lead by ten points. In the last couple minutes of the game, Beecher was put into the situation where they needed to foul Howell and send them to the free-throw line in order to get the ball back to try to score. The Highlanders hit a few key free-throws to secure the lead, and then stopped Beecher with stellar defense. The final score of the game was 58-53, Howell with the victory.
“Beating such a great team has showed us that we can truly play with anyone when we want to. Now we have a better idea of how good we are and can be. This game should give us confidence, but we will still be modest and not get cocky,” says junior Jake Wendel.
For Howell, the leading scorer was junior Deajay Klett. Klett ended the night with 20 points. Other high scorers were senior Kyle Scott with 11, Wendel with eight, and junior Dillon French with seven. Senior Tyler Johnson is a four-year varsity player and has been having hip flexor issues. Although he is not one hundred percent healthy, he still put up seven points in the game.
“It was great to be back out on our home court and to have the student section there for us,” says Klett.
The Howell student section sported all white spirit wear, in accordance with the white uniforms worn by the Highlanders.
“The game had a great atmosphere. This is the start of a great journey,” says Wendel.
Wendel was in the starting five last night for Howell. The other four starters were Johnson, French, Scott, and junior Jake Wright.
“I thought this game was a perfect way to start the season. We just have to keep improving and work hard every day. If we do that, I know we will have a successful season and go far,” says Klett.
The team has set goals for themselves to help push through the season. These goals include winning the division, reaching the elite eight, and to have a team GPA (Grade Point Average) of over 3.5.
With Howell starting off the season with a 1-0 record, they will be looking to stay undefeated. Conference play is coming up and the team will have tough games, especially against Grand Blanc who did well last year and is said to be a good team again this year.
“We’re putting Howell on the map one game at a time,” says Wright.
