The boys basketball team had its first practices leading up to the first game against the Reeths-Puffer Rockets this coming Friday. 

With many senior leaders leaving the program this past year, this year’s seniors need to fill their shoes. Senior Will McWatters has high hopes for this season’s team as they chase an O-K Red conference championship.

“We will perform at a very high level and will have to for all twenty games plus the playoffs with the very tough schedule that we play,” McWatters said. 

Being a part of the O-K Red always brings tough matchups. Even games involving teams from outside of the conference can be tough. The Bucs fell to the Muskegon Big Reds in a challenging postseason game to end their season last year.

To win tough games, the team will need to come out strong against the Rockets on Friday. An away game for the squad’s first game can be a steep hill to climb, so the group will need to stay focused to compete the rest of the season.

“We want to obviously win games and focus on one game at a time,” McWatters said.