Traveling to Nazareth for another district game, the Wolverines faced the Swifts for the second time this season on Jan. 27th. After back-and-forth action between both teams, Nazareth gained the lead and stole the win with a score of 51-29. Despite the loss, the Springlake-Earth varsity division is focusing on the positive aspects of the game and seeing what they can do to capitalize in their next game against Happy. 

“We couldn’t get our offense going, and they had really good defense,” senior Alex Alvarez said. “It was hard for us to run through our offense.” 

The first quarter started strong with starters senior Alex Alvarez, juniors Isaiah Tovar and Jonathan Jaramillo, and freshmen Froylan Agundiz, and Kaleb Castillo. The first score of the game was  Tovar with a three; then, Nazareth came back and scored a three as well. Alvarez scored a two, and the Swifts came back and scored yet another three. Alvarez was fouled and made both free throws, and shortly afterward, Nazareth also drew a foul, only making the second free throw. Nazareth gained possession of the ball and scored another 2 points, making the score 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.

“Our offense has to be on point,” Agundiz said. “If our offense isn’t on point, we aren’t going to get anywhere going on to the next games or even to the playoffs.” 

Throughout the second quarter, the Wolverines continued to fight, but their offensive efforts were subdued. Castillo was able to make one free-throw along with Alvarez, and Jarmillo was able to contribute two points while Nazareth contributed one free-throw, one three, and three twos to the scoreboard. At halftime, the score was 23-12.

“They never gave up,” fan and parent Melissa Alvarez said. “Generally, they play the entire game, so I know that they are tired. However, they still play as hard as they can every quarter.”  

In the third quarter, the Wolverines’ efforts were still being shut down. Alvarez scored a two along with Jaramillo, and Tovar was able to score a two and a three. At the end of the third, the score was 35-21.  

“If you’re going against us, you’re not going to get an easy win by any means,” A. Alvarez said. “You’re going to get all of us, and we’re not going down without a fight.” 

During the fourth quarter, the Wolverines kept fighting. Agundiz scored a three, Tovar made a free-throw, and Jaramillo made a free-throw, but in the end, Nazareth was too much to handle. Despite the outcome of the game, the Wolverines are thankful for their fans.  

“I’m just thankful for all the support we continue to get,” A. Alvarez said. “It’s way easier to compete in games when you’re losing when the fans are supporting you and yelling for you. They’ve got our back through everything, so I appreciate the fans.”