Over Christmas break, the boys basketball team traveled to Taylorville for their annual holiday tournament. They went into this tournament with a big head on their shoulders and ready to go to the championship game for the sixth straight year. 

  Head Coach Ryan Vasquez said, “I thought it was great because we fought through adversity with two of our players getting sick and we understood that the beat goes on. It’s always fun to see them bond and see all of our kids come together.”

  As the boys got into Taylorville they had to deal with some ups and downs. After the first game junior Nico Battaglia (a starter) was sick and had to go home so junior Maddux Osborn had to step up and be a starter. 

  Junior Nico Battaglia said, “I was very upset that I got sick this tournament because it is one of the most fun and competitive times of the season. While getting sent home I had to support the team and watch it on the tv.” 

  The team went into day two knowing they had to play harder and were down a player. They had to play a tough Marion team that was ranked 21st in 3a as the Golden Warriors were 19th in 3a. They went back and forth the whole game and ended up going into overtime. The Golden Warriors pulled away with the win and went into the last day 3-0. 

  Waking up, they heard news that senior Carter Chance (a starter) got sick overnight and he ended up staying in his own room. Junior Jimmy Wadsworth had to step up and be a starter. The first game of championship day was against Marion, who we had just beat in overtime the day before. They went into the game knowing they were gonna throw their best punch. It turns out the Warriors went into overtime again and pulled away with the win. 

  The Golden Warriors went into the championship game going against an undefeated Mt. Zion team. The outcome wasn’t what they wanted, with the final score of 63-42 but they for sure played their hardest with the players they had, and are always ready to come back for more next year.