After a great run by this years boys basketball team, their season has unfortunately come to end. The Chargers lost a very tough battle to the Warsaw Tigers in the first game of the IHSAA Elkhart sectional, 65-50.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick 13-3 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.

“Early on we struggled to score. We were getting good looks, but they just weren’t falling,” said head coach Kyle Sears. “On top of that, Warsaw shot extremely well. I think the combination of those two things put us in an early hole that we just couldn’t get out of.”

After the tough first quarter, the Chargers were able to finally get some points on the board, but that came at the cost of Warsaw continuing to run up the score.

Heading into halftime, the Chargers trailed 17-32.

Memorial fans still had hope for a comeback, and many fans didn’t believe the Chargers could do it; they expected them to.

As the second half resumed, the Chargers seemed to be playing with a larger spark underneath them, but that didn’t do a lot against the rolling Tigers.

The lead was cut to only seven at one point, and it seemed as though maybe the Charger’s fast paced, pressure driven style of play would help them inch their way back into the game. However, every time the Chargers cut the lead, Warsaw was right there to match the bucket.

Watching the clock wind down, getting closer and closer to striking zero, the idea of defeat began to settle in the heads of Charger students and fans.

Late in the fourth quarter, with a lead too large to comeback from in such little time, Coach Sears began taking his seniors out. A sight that might bring a tear to your eye no matter who you are. The players walked off the court, heads hanging, and tears in their eyes as their coach coddled and praised them, one by one.

“They were at everything they could be in the offseason and practice during the season,” said Sears. “They worked hard to have the season that we had this year.  They have accomplished a lot as they won a sectional last year and a conference championship this year.”

Once the buzzer sounded, Warsaw fans celebrated, while fellow Charger supporters hung in defeat.

Seniors all over the gymnasium expressed their sorrow, whether it was the boys on the court, the cheerleaders on the side, or the fans in the student section. They all stood in astonishment, knowing this would be their last time in Northside Gymnasium cheering on their Memorial Chargers.

After a great season, and a fun ride, I think there is only one way to end it:

Thank you to the boys basketball team and thank you seniors.