Jan. 10-15, the North boys Varsity Basketball team played in the Lindbergh Invitational. Facing the likes of Westminster Christian Academy, Carnahan and McCluer, the knights finished with a record of 2-1 after losing to Westminster in the first game, 25-69. The knights bounced back with a hard fought 51-47 win over Carnahan, finishing the tournament off with a 54-37 win over McCluer. 

“Right now we really just want to keep the ball rolling after this 3 game win streak we are on,” junior and varsity player Ryan Murdock said. “We have some crucial conference games we must win against upcoming teams in the next couple of weeks for districts so we are using the FZN tourney to really prepare for a very deciding next couple of games.”

Varsity took the wins against Carnahan and McCluer, only after losing big to a state ranked team in Westminster. The Knights were pitted very heavily against the grain in this matchup, as Westminster is one of the best in Missouri. The Knights had to go into it like a normal game and just try and focus on the game that they play, unfortunately they were bested 25-69. 

“After playing Westminster, which is a state level team, it is very easy for a team to go into a slump,” Murdock said. “Instead, our guys fixed our turnovers and offensive as well as defensive mistakes that led the way for us to win the consolation bracket. We went 2-1 and I was very proud that certain players stepped up with me being gone and created for the team.” 

The knights shook off the loss quickly though, bouncing back and winning the last two games of the tournament. First with a win against Carnahan, and then a win against McCluer. After finishing the tournament 2-1, the knights have all of the momentum at their feet as they beat Fort Zumwalt East in a pretty large rivalry game.

“Right now we are pretty high morally. Being on a three game win streak has caused us to get even more competitive in practice and with the win at FZE with a large away crowd we are even more pumped about games in the near future,” Murdock said. “Our execution was great. Our defensive effort was amazing. Our crowd was getting into it. That’s what we live for.”