Shoes are squeaking on the court, sweat drips from the players’ brow, and the crowd is anxiously jittering as the varsity basketball team faced off against the Travis Tigers Tuesday night, Feb. 5, on their home court.

As of today, the Rangers’ district record is 3-6 and they are 8-21 overall.

In the second half, the Rangers were down 15-27.

Roundup photographer senior David Onubogu has attended many of the boys’ games and is an avid supporter of the team. As the boys returned to the court, Onubogu said he admired their drive.

“They’re still fighting, they’re still hustling, even though they have more than double our points right now,” Onobogu said. “They have good passing; everybody gets a touch.”

Although the Rangers continued to battle with the Tigers, they lost 39-72.

Tonight, at 7:30 p.m. they are hosting senior night at their home court versus the Ridge Point Panthers. This is their last district home game.

Going into their upcoming game, the team is carrying the lessons they learned and holding themselves to high expectations despite their recent loss.

Senior Ayush Singh says the team has been “supportive of one another” throughout the season and the power of this dynamic will help carry them into their last games.

“We push each other at practice and in games to play the best we can,” Singh said. “We work hard every practice and help each other fix mistakes after every loss.”

Not only does the team hold each other accountable, but they are communicative about the issues at hand. Senior Sam Hayes talks about how they recognize what needs improvement and keep a positive attitude.  

“After a loss we watch film and talk about the reasons for why we lost and what we could have done better,” Hayes said. “We keep each other motivated through encouragement and bringing energy during every practice.”

As these seniors play the final games of their basketball career, they reflect on the lessons they have learned throughout their journey.

“We’ve learned to play until the final whistle and to give 100 percent even when the results aren’t seen on the scoreboard.” Singh said. “We’ve learned to be the hardest working team in practice and in games.”

Beyond the sport itself, Hayes says the game of basketball accredits basketball to shaping him into the person that he is today.

“The best thing my coaches and teammates have taught me is the importance of toughness and character,” Hayes said. “It’s easy to get flustered and quit when things aren’t going your way, but that’s not us. We have never quit because of the faith we have in each other and the toughness of our team.”

With their upcoming home opponent, Senior Hunter Moore is going in with a strong, competitive mindset for the next few matches.

“We hope to win our last games,” Moore said. “That’s always the goal.”

Besides a W to add to their record, Hayes also says he wishes for more.

“In these last games I just want to compete and have fun,” Hayes said. “At the end of the day, basketball is a sport we play for the joy it brings us and I’d like to end my career having fun with the guys I care most about.”