H-F boys’ varsity basketball team is winning again after a series of wins, achieving an early undefeated record of 5-0 as of Dec. 5.

The Vikings won their first game with a score of 69-25 against St. Francis High School and have not slowed down, winning 78-31, 58-45, 69-52 and 72-53 against Hammond Central, Marian Catholic High School, Bloom High School and Lincoln-Way Central, respectively.

Boys’ basketball practices look different this year due to the missing seniors who graduated last year. According to assistant coach Kevin Dillard, this year’s team is still pretty solid. “We still have a pretty solid team this year,” Dillard expressed. “We got hungry guys and competitive guys.”

The team is working on things to help secure wins. During practices, the team works on drills that work with their strengths. 

According to Dillard, “We’re just trying to work on the players’ strength. We can’t give you anything specific, but we are trying to keep the team consistent.” 

The team’s chemistry has not been damaged by the loss of the team’s former star players. 

“So far the chemistry is amazing, everyone is getting along and we’re all on each other hard so we can be great,” senior Brent Taylor said, who plays guard. 

The team shares some there goals such as being a better player on the team. 

 “Long-term goals I have is to make All-State, maybe go for Gatorade player of the year, and also to go undefeated and win a State Championship,” Taylor stated. 

“Short-term goals are to get better every day, put in effort and improve as a team,” Dillard stated. 

Since the seniors from last season have graduated, the team has to rebuild or build on last season’s team. Some of the players don’t feel pressure about stepping up and being a leader of the team while others might feel slightly pressured. 

Taylor doesn’t feel the stress of stepping up for the team. “No, I don’t feel any pressure. I’ve been on varsity long enough to know what I need to do to help lead our team,” Taylor said.

The team is set to take on Stagg High School on our court at 6:30 PM on Dec. 13.