After taking first in the Bill Hanson Memorial Tournament, the boys varsity basketball team was ready for their matchup against Blue Valley, according to head coach Aaron Ihm.

“Going to Pittsburg and playing [against] one of the top 15 public schools in the nation [Vashon High School] was big, and so it was more about our growth as a team,” Ihm said. 

Junior guard Grant Stubblefield added to Ihm, saying having a week to prepare for the game helped lead the team to victory, especially when shutting down Aidan Shaw, a key player on Blue Valley’s roster and a University of Missouri basketball commit. 

“We just worked all week knowing that he was going to make some big plays, but also knowing that we could stop him and force him into some bad shots,” Stubblefield said. “He is a good player, so we just tried to contain him as much as we can, and I think we did a pretty good job of that.” 

At the end of the first quarter, the Huskies trailed the Tigers, 5-12. Ihm said while the team was playing well from a defensive standpoint, their offense was slower to start. However, he said his team remained calm and confident. 

“We were playing pretty good defensively, but the shots were not falling,” Ihm said. “We do not panic too much about that; we have so many guys that are going to score eventually.” 

The shots did start to fall in Northwest’s favor as they would end the first half leading Blue Valley, 19-16. 

Right before halftime, two BVNW juniors yelled a chant, with those seated around and above joining. Athletic Director John Hilton then told all non-senior students to leave. Junior Chris Daniel was one of several students asked to leave. He said Hilton’s actions were unfair as cheering is common at all sporting events. 

“I think it was unfair that we got kicked out with virtually no warning for saying ‘airball’ when if you go to any basketball game, kids are going to be chanting that,” Daniel said. 

Following this event, the Pack Dance team seniors — Avery Reid, Regan Poppen, Ainsley Aadland, Claire Jandric, Lindsay Trout and Parker Paredes — were honored at halftime. 

During halftime, Ihm said he told his team to stay solid. 

“‘[I said] nothing they do is going to surprise us, so keep playing solid,” Ihm said. 

In the second half, Stubblefield said the team continued to make adjustments to score more. Ihm added to this and said the team had an explosive third quarter. 

At the end of the third quarter, the Huskies led the Tigers, 37-23. Although BVNW ultimately defeated BVH, 50-43, Ihm said he wished the team finished stronger. 

“The one thing I did not like was how we finished. I feel like we probably should have had them [down] 17 to 18 points and fouling us,” Ihm said. 

Looking ahead to Friday’s game against Blue Valley North, Stubblefield said the team will play hard and follow Ihm’s game plan. Ihm added to Stubblefield, saying the team will be ready for North. 

“The kids love that game,” Ihm said. “We are going to get after them.” 

The Huskies are currently 1-1 against North this season. Friday’s game will be the last time the two teams play each other before a potential playoff game.