Losing a season-deciding game is never ideal. But for the men’s varsity basketball team, the defeat is a stepping stone for future success. The team came together for the district game against rival Father Gabriel Richard at the opponent’s home court, but couldn’t quite find their footing in time to take a lead. Yet, the Gryphons stayed persistent as they played several factors going against them.

From the starting whistle, FGR quickly took the first points of the game. The Gryphons didn’t take long to respond. This wasn’t the Gryphons’ first scuffle with the Irish. The Gryphons faced FGR earlier this season in a tough 42-75 loss. The past loss didn’t deter the team from fighting until the end.

“A lot of teams we’ve [played], we’ve already seen; nobody we think we can’t beat,” said Assistant Coach Keith Lake before the game. “Just us not beating ourselves.”

District games are stressful, especially with the team’s rival opponents having the home advantage. The coaching staff has worked to prepare the team accordingly.

“[We] just worked on a lot of pressure situations,” said Assistant Coach Chris Bufkin. “The work ethic has picked up all season.”

The physical game is just one of the battles. The team has prepared for this crucial game through both physical and mental training. The Gryphons have been pushing each other to make each other better.

“[We’ve] tried to make practice tougher,” said Bufkin. They’ve been very competitive with each other, so it carries [into games].”

Besides talented competition, the Gryphons faced external challenges with coaching staff conflicts and a delayed start to the year.

“The hardest thing to do is to get a team to buy in to what you want as a new coach coming in,” said Head Coach Tom Staton.

Luckily for Staton, the Gryphons were adaptable and eager to get to work.

“It’s really tough when you start the year so late as a coaching staff,” said Staton. “There was a lot of adversity that we went through. I feel like we were right on the edge of being a good team and it just takes time.”

The players and coaches alike recognized the importance of making the best out of a bad situation.

“It started with a lot of hardship, not knowing necessarily who was going to be coaching us,” said forward Adeola Adefeso ‘26. “But at the end of the day, the team stuck together. We showed up to all our practices trying to get better every day.”

The team stayed resilient despite factors out of their control.

“The guys really accepted the coaching staff and started to listen to what we had [to say]” said Staton. “We’re so close, but it just takes more time, so it’s tough.”

The unfortunate setbacks will only make the team stronger for the next year.

“We’ll be a different team [with a] full year of off season and summer workouts and stuff” said Staton. “We’ll definitely be a good team.”

Experienced players on the team agreed that the future looks bright.

“I think they’ll be really good next year,” said Captain Noah Korley ‘26.

Younger players are also looking forward to future seasons.

“I’m happy with the group of guys that went out there. I hope next year we can go harder and win a game,” said forward Maksim Rakic-Dennis ‘27.

Although the game ended in defeat, the Gryphons fought until the final buzzer. The team’s effort was apparent to everyone watching, especially peers in the crowd. 

“The seniors played with a lot of emotion,” said Royal Seale ‘26. “ I’m really proud they put themselves out there for one final time.”

The team’s perseverance was acknowledged by the coaches as well.

“I really appreciate the group, the seniors,” said Staton. “Everybody’s [had] a good year, but we just didn’t get it done.”

It was an emotional night for seniors. This game marked the end of their high school basketball career.

“It’s just been great being on the team since I’ve got here,” said Adefeso. “Seven years of playing Greenhills basketball. I have a lot of teammates that I’ve played with every single year, so it’s a very emotional thing for me.”

The older players showed their maturity and leadership as they represented the school.

“We got to play two really good seasons together,” said Korley. “I was happy every single day that we got to practice and have games with each other.”

Time flies when you’re having fun, both as an athlete and a coach.

“[The season] seems like it’s gone really fast, but it’s been good,” said Bufkin. “We had a late start, but they seem to have come together and have a [shared] goal.”

No matter the outcome, the team stayed strong for one another and never gave up.

“It felt good,” said Korley. “It felt sad. Sad that it’s over, but it was fun when we were out there.”