By Mark Gregory | @Hear_The_Beard
Whenever a team sees another team multiple times in the same season, that final game can often go either way despite the records or previous outcomes.
That was how it looked early in the opener of the Class 3A Andrew Regional as Plainfield Central, the No. 21 seed in the Lockport Sectional, had No. 12 Oswego East on the ropes early.
The Wildcats trailed only 36-34 at the half, before Oswego East opened up the game and rolled to a 72-59 win.
“They are a good, scrappy basketball team and we match up OK with them and we had two really good games during the season and we had a chance and they pulled it out late, just like tonight,” Central coach Steve Lamberti said.
Central held the Wolves to only 12 points, but scored only six of their own.
“We didn’t score the ball well in the third quarter and that hurt us,” Lamberti said. “It was not for lack of effort or trying, the ball just didn’t find the basket. We shot extremely well in the end of the first quarter heading into the second quarter, but we gave up too many points in the first. We can’t play average and beat a decent team like that.”
Despite the Wildcats’ struggles in the win column this season, Lamberti said he enjoyed the season with the team.
“I don’t really care what our record is, these were some of the funnest, most enjoyable guys I have ever been around. I wish they had more victories because this was an awesome group of dudes. I would say that if we had 20 wins,” Lamberti said. “They are such a great group of kids and they work hard and they have fun at practice. We come in the next morning after a game and, boom, they are in their busting their tails trying to get better. They are an excellent, excellent group of people and I am disappointed for them because I know we should have found a way to win some more games and as a coach, obviously, that is on me. They deserved better and we will talk about what this means and they will have smiles on their faces walking out because this was more than just a basketball game.
“These guys are competitors and you always expect to win more games and these guys were battlers, they were warriors and they know they battled and fought and worked hard. We may have been 3-24, but they know they were in a lot of games with a chance to win and they are proud of that effort.”
The loss marked the end of the careers for seniors James Davis, Trey Ervin, Noah Kraulidis, Chris Bowitz, Myles Turner, Scott Gustafson, Michael Lyons and Justin Windt.
Windt spent all four of his years at Plainfield Central on the varsity team.
“We feel like we try to build great relationships with everyone we coach and with a kid that has been around for four years, sometime that relationship goes deeper than others. He is such a great kid,” Lamberti said, “Him and Scott and Chris and Trey Ervin and Noah and even a kid like Myles, who transferred in, they are all great guys who will be successful in whatever they do. I wish we could have had more wins for them so they feel better, but when they look in the mirror, they have to be proud of the people they are and what they tried to accomplish. We are really proud of that and honestly, that is the big picture – what kind of person are you and how hard do you work. No one remembers how many wins you had, they remember the fun you had.”