The boys’ varsity basketball team held its annual Senior Night on February 10, at which eight seniors were honored for their leadership and time with the team. Having already clinched their spot in the playoffs, the team was playing to raise their seeding in the bracket, along with increasing the chance for home court advantage in the first round.

Coach Jamie Adams spoke on the seniors’ final regular season game while wearing green and gold. “With one of the biggest senior classes we’ve had, it was a very unique year. Everybody’s dream, as a high school athlete, is to win his last home game, and it drives us as a staff to work harder and make sure that they’re ready for that.” Adams joked about this year’s class, and said, “If I had hair, I’d probably have pulled it out because this class likes to walk on the edge a little bit.”

In his final home game, senior Will Krapf made sure to make the most of it. “This was a very special moment for all of us, growing up and playing with these guys for so many years and to step on the court with them for one final home game was a moment I’ll never forget. We went into this game knowing that Plainedge wasn’t going to be easy to get by, so we had to both enjoy the time together and get the job done. To be able to do both in one night was amazing.”

The first half of Friday’s game was evenly matched. Lynbrook fought to maintain the lead throughout the second, but Plainedge managed to put together a late run, cutting Lynbrook’s lead to 7 to head into the half: 38-31.

“We didn’t end the first half the way we would’ve like to, being given the opportunity to score and make nothing of it gave back half of our lead,” Adams said. However, Lynbrook came out of the locker room strong, putting up 22 points in the third, while allowing only 21 points in the second half, shutting the door with great defense to seal the win, 76-52.

Senior Eli Sherman-Murphy led the way in the box score, dropping 20 for the fourth time this season en route to the win. Will Krapf added 10 points to the score, as senior Max Cordes led the team from the arc, hitting two three-pointers on his way to 10 points in the victory over Plainedge.

“Heading into the game, we knew we had to end the season with a bang,” Sherman-Murphy said when asked about the win. “With a win over a tough team like Plainedge, we would have momentum heading into the playoffs,” he added.

With the playoffs up next, Krapf and the team were ready for anything. “When preparing for the playoffs, we’ll be more in-depth on focusing on the fundamentals and making everything run perfectly. We can make a run in the playoffs, and it all starts with the mindset that any team can be beaten on any given night.”

The boys have clinched home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, as the #21 Roosevelt Roughriders will head to The Barn on Wednesday, February 15.