The Gator boys basketball team just missed their chance to make it to state this past season. But they’re prepared to take their game to the next level this winter.

By Alex Stogdill

The basketball season has come to a close. The boys and girls fought hard and played their hearts out this year. Although the season may have ended faster than they would have liked, the Gators should be proud of all of their hard work over the course of the year. The boys basketball team had to play Bellevue West in the first round of districts. It was a fairly close game for the majority of the time. They played with all they had, because they knew this could be it for their season.

Unfortunately, the boys didn’t come out on top, but they had a very good season. “The hardest part was having it end so suddenly, and especially for the seniors. This was their last year of basketball here at North Star,” Coach Tony Quattrocchi said. Coach Quattrochi is a very loyal coach who is very close to his players. This was a very hard time for him to process and realize that that was his last game with the seniors.

One of those seniors was Noah Housh. He was a key player this season for the Gators and also realizes the impact of not being able to play next year. “I already miss it. I’m now realizing that it’s forever,” said Housh, who is going to play football at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. However, it’s not so bleak for the boys basketball program. The players and coaches are excited about next year. Coach Q is very optimistic about next year’s team and season, “We have a lot of talent coming back, and a lot of the players have set good goals for next year. Our main goal will be to reach the state tournament again.”

Nate Tederman (11) also has a positive outlook, “We have a good nucleus returning and we can be pretty good.” It’s very good to see that our players are positive and looking forward, especially with the help of the coaches.

There were a lot of ups and downs for this year’s team, but they fought through and did the best they could. Housh and Tederman considered their favorite parts of this year’s season, “Beating Southeast,” said Tederman. “Going to team dinners,” said Housh.

This year’s season may be over and we will be losing some valuable seniors, but the program is optimistic and highly motivated moving into next year. We will just have to wait and see what is in store.

The girls basketball team had a more difficult year than that of the boys team. They were unable to win a game this year, but they played hard and fought through it. The girls team was very young this year, and that can be very difficult for a team. On the other hand, that is a good thing, because it gets the younger players valuable experience, and can help the team down the road.

Leyton Bruggeman (9) got quite a bit of playing time for the Gators, which can be a very valuable asset in the future. “I’m personally going to work on my shot and being positive all the way through the game,” Bruggeman said about preparing for next season. “I’m going to help the team bond more than we did this year, and help everyone have better attitudes.”

It’s very important that younger players on the team work hard and be positive. Sophomores Katie Horan and Kailee Brown were also members of this year’s team, and each contributed well for the Gators. Horan has some improvements of her own that she would like to make for next year’s season. “I want the team to stay together, because we are still growing as a team, and I want to personally not play scared and improve my game some more,” Horan said.

Being a young team, there can be times when it is difficult to come together and get things done, but Horan believes the team will do just fine. “I think we will handle being a young team well because we started out playing as underclassmen and next year should be better since most of us should have at least one year under our belt.”

Even though the girls team didn’t win a game this year, there are still good things that can be taken from it. Brown was able to take something for herself from this season. “I learned how to keep working hard and persevering even when times are tough.”

Some of the best things we learn from are our experiences; they can’t necessarily be taught. Along with positive things taken away from the season, Brown also said, “My favorite part of the season was getting to know all of the girls and being able to be with them everyday.”

All in all, the girls, although they didn’t have the season they necessarily wanted, still fought and played hard, and are able to take valuable lessons from it.

The boys and girls teams should both be proud of themselves this year. They played their hearts out and never gave up. Now that the season is over, it is time to look forward to next year.

The Gators will be back and ready to go next year, and we should all be very excited to go out and support them as they make North Star proud.