With a majority of a disappointing season behind them, Coach Scott Nemecek and his varsity basketball team now look to achieve success with the start of the playoffs. When playoff pairings were announced two weeks ago, the Titans found that a poor regular season performance dropped them all the way down to the 18th seed in a sectional that holds nineteen.

Even with such a seeding, Nemecek knew that they had lucked out with a relatively easy sectional, as none of the teams are currently ranked in the Top 25. “There’s no one team that is head and shoulders above the group in this sectional, but we won’t see a sectional game until we win the regional, and we’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves.”

Glenbrook South will be the host of the Regional games which the Titans are in, and Coach Nemecek emphasized the importance of taking home the Regional Championship on the team’s home court. “We’re going to have to win three games to do it, and we know we’ll have St. Viator, Highland Park, and most likely Hersey to beat,” said Nemecek. “We’re going to try and emphasize our size and style of play with certain mismatches, but the goal of being Regional champions isn’t too far out.”

Forward Danny Monkton takes the ball upcourt for the Titans. His ballhandling was just one of the many things the Titans missed while he was injured.

On February 9, the Titans lost a conference match-up against the New Trier Trevians, dropping their conference record to 3-6 and 7-16 overall. New Trier controlled the entire first half, holding a 15 point advantage in the third quarter. A furious comeback ensued and with the score tied at 54 with 1:18 remaining, the Titans were unable to take the lead, losing 58-54.

Progress seems to have been every other word out of Nemecek since the beginning of the season, but it finally seems as if the team will turn the corner by turning this progress into results. “We’ve come to a stage in our season when we will be looking to step up our style of play, especially on the defensive end. Our focus on defense is now to take teams off their offensive sets, so now scouting and breaking down their offense comes into play,” said Coach Nemecek.

The post has become the team’s haven in times of offensive struggles. Centers Jack Cooley and Matt Mierzycki led the way for the Titans against the Trevians, both contributing 15 points. Senior forward Danny Monckton returned from a broken collarbone to give the Titans an offensive spark in the paint. He has teamed with Mierzycki, Cooley, and Sean Progar to form one of the most imposing front courts in the area.

Nemecek is confident that the team’s competitive drive will translate into victories, even if it was not the case for the past few games. “This team has shown its will to battle and improve. We are playing at a level where we play with a purpose. We won’t play as passive any more; we’re going to attempt to impose what we want.”

Jay Lee, staff reporter