It’s undeniable. Boys varsity basketball is on fire this season. 

The team is currently 23-4, winning by margins of up to 40 points. On Friday, Jan. 28 the team dominated over El Toro High School, clenching the SeaView League championship in the process.

For months the players have been training hard, strategically building up the skills that have carried them through this season.

“Last year, we had a heartbreaking loss because we couldn’t make free throws. We just don’t want that to happen again, so our coach and our captains have instituted a rule where everyone shoots 100 free throws a day, every day,” said senior Mason Brehmer.

On top of hours of sweat and training, the team has also worked on their chemistry. They are remarkably close, their bonds strong both on and off the court.

“We have a really senior-heavy roster so we’ve been around each other a lot for the past four years. Now, we do stuff outside of practice–we go to movies and dinners and we see each other all the time. It’s a really tight team,” said senior Nathan Goltara.

“You just know what guys on the court are doing and you just trust your guys. You trust them to get it done,” said senior and one of the three team captains, Mark Reichner.

These connections between players have clearly paid off for the team, as their consistent victories have begun to draw a lot of attention. 

Boys basketball games are becoming a popular activity for SJHHS students’ Friday nights. Students are drawn by the promise of an exciting game, and almost always, an impressive win for the school. These crowds have only served to fuel the players’ winning streak.

“The crowd always helps, especially getting us going and keeping us energized. Two-three years ago there was like no crowd. Winning brings that atmosphere, so with all this winning, we bring a crowd, and a crowd has a lot of buzz to it, and then it helps us overall with our energy,” said Reichner.

A perfect example of the thrill and excitement of these games was on Jan. 19 against a local rival, Tesoro High School.

The team was down by 10 points with only two minutes and twenty seconds left on the clock. In only about 20 seconds, team captain John McFadden, between steals, layups, and free throws, scored 6 points, and the team then scored an additional point. McFadden then stole the ball, which ended up in Brehmer’s hands. With 40 seconds left, Brehmer scored a pivotal 3-point shot, miraculously tying the game.

“The student section was right behind me. Right when I shot it I could feel the silence. It was just like a gasp–everyone was holding their breath. Then when it went in it erupted. It’s like the best feeling when it goes in–it’s like ecstasy. At that point you know you’re going to win the game,” said Brehmer.

With the game tied up, the ball made its way toward Reichner.

“There was like 8 seconds left, we were waiting down on the clock. I looked over at Coach, Coach was like “go”, so I went and did my thing. I got a nice little bump-off floater and we won the game,” said Reichner.

With that final point, the buzzer went off, and the crowd poured onto the court, euphorically celebrating the triumph with the rest of the team.

“The atmosphere was just super exciting. We probably weren’t supposed to win that game but we fought and we battled and we came back in the last two minutes and it was crazy,” said Goltara.

As the boys continue to win their way through the season, there are surely many more impressive moments to come. With CIF playoffs just around the corner, you should be sure not to miss them.

Stallions can keep themselves up to date with the team by following @sjhboysbasketball on Instagram, where they can also find videos of their games, including the one against Tesoro.