Over the past week, the boys basketball team participated in a six team tournament at Lindbergh High School. The team saw a variety of talent, playing the Jackson Vikings, Riverview Gardens Rams, and the Confluence Titans. The Wildcats went 3-0 during this stretch, beating each team by at least 20 points en route to their first tournament championship since the Washington Tournament in 2016. 

In the first game against Jackson on Tuesday, the Wildcats came out firing from deep. They shot a blazing 9-21 from behind the arc, giving themselves an early lead. Once the Wildcats got the ball rolling, there was no stopping them. They went up 26-13 at halftime and never looked back. Defensively, the Wildcats held Jackson in check and forced them into many tough shots. The leading scorers of the ball game were sophomore Casen Lawrence with 14 points, and senior Matthew “Swamp” George with 12 points. The final score was 57-36.

The Wildcats then took on the Riverview Gardens Rams on Thursday. While the task at hand was still winning the game, there was another key component of the game. Senior Brennan Orf was only 18 points away from 1,000 total in his high school career. The Wildcats again came flying out of the gates, putting the team up 30-13 at halftime. But the chase was on. The third quarter belonged to Orf, as he went out and dropped a quick eight points in a row. Then after missing two free throws, Orf hit the milestone with an and-one layup. This momentum propelled the Cats to another 20 point win by a final score of 62-42.

After winning the first two games, the Wildcats qualified for the Championship game. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, but due to the inclement weather, it was postponed to Monday. The Wildcats took on the Confluence Titans in what figured to be a tight game at 11:30 AM. The game started off slow as the first quarter ended with a 7-6 lead for the Wildcats. Despite the slow starts, each team got hot in the second by converting on many driving layups. The Titans also drilled a long range three to cut the Westminster lead to three at the half. But coming out of the locker room, Sophomore Casen Lawrence caught fire. He rained in 5 three-pointers, and finished with a game high 17 points, most of which took place in the third quarter. Freshman JaKobi Williams and Sophomore Caleb Thompson also stepped up in the second half and contributed 13 points apiece. The game ended in a runaway 20 point win for the Wildcats by a score of 66-46. 

This tournament win is a huge step for this year’s basketball team. Brennan Orf broke the 1,000 point barrier, and he, along with Sophomores Casen Lawrence and Caleb Thompson were named to the all-tournament team. Now playing their best basketball of the year, the Wildcats will look to carry this momentum into their crucial game on Tuesday against the Priory Rebels at 7 PM.