On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the #7 La Salle boys varsity basketball team faced off against the #3 Wilsonville Wildcats at home, clinching a narrow 52-50 win.

But the final score wasn’t the only thing celebrated that night.

Not only did the last home league game of the season bring the opportunity to settle a rivalry and potentially secure a league title, but it was also senior night, and family members, students, friends, coaches, and staff alike gathered to celebrate the team’s eight seniors, along with team manager Harris Nguyen.

Among those seniors, four of them came together before the game to reflect on their season. 

Finbar O’Brien, who has been playing basketball for La Salle since freshman year, attributes the team’s success so far to the players’ interconnectedness across the program, allowing them to become more familiarized with each other’s playing styles, whether that be members of JV or varsity. “I think just getting to know the program and players and building up that team chemistry has really helped us with our success on the court,” he said. 

The team has had many opportunities throughout the season to bond and spend time together, such as an overnight trip to Medford and team dinners. 

For seniors Nick Robertson and Cade Jansen, their senior dinner at Fogo De Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse, stands out as their favorite memory. Robertson pointed out that what he really enjoyed about these bonding opportunities was “spending time with all my best friends around the team.” 

Meanwhile, senior Aidan Cate feels connected to his teammates due to their shared drive and tenacity. “We’ve all had the common goal of winning [the] league or a state championship,” he said. “When you surround yourself with those people, you all push yourselves to strive for greatness.” 

All four seniors agree that the team has grown tremendously since the beginning of the season. With an overall record of 17-6, they’ve gone 13-1 since league play started, the most wins out of any team in their conference. 

“At the beginning of the season, we were trying to figure out what players we wanted to be,” Jansen said. “Throughout the season, we’ve figured out our roles as a team.” 

Robertson shared similar thoughts. “If you look at our schedule, most of our losses are at the beginning of the season,” he said. “As we rolled into the league, we started to really put some winning streaks going.” 

On Tuesday night, they continued that streak, winning their eighth straight game.

https://www.tiktok.com/@lasallefalconer/video/7203198448529607979?_r=1&_t=8a6mAdCfIWE

Although the team had previously lost 40-59 on Wilsonville’s home turf — their only loss of league play thus far — it didn’t discourage them from keeping their eyes on the prize.

There was never any doubt that it was a high-stakes game; between the chance to come out on top of a rivalry, earn bragging rights, and possibly secure a league championship, this was arguably the biggest game of the year, which naturally put a lot of pressure on them to perform. However, they had many strategies to manage the stress and keep their focus on the game despite distractions.

“We’ve stayed focused in practice and trusted our coach’s game plan,” O’Brien said prior to the game. “He’s really helped us prepare for tonight to put us in a situation where we can do our best.” 

Cate agreed, stating that it was key for the team to “stay focused and locked in” despite the pressure. 

In terms of the game plan, Jansen didn’t hesitate to point out the obvious. “It’s a rivalry,” he said. “And we’ve been preparing. We’ve prepared longer and more strategically this time around.” 

Their preparation paid off.  

For the members of the La Salle boys varsity basketball team, it was more than just a win; it was a culmination of the determination and hard work they put in to make this dream of beating their league rivals come true. 

After the game, Robertson, who led the Falcons with 15 points, stated that beating Wilsonville “feels like the best thing imaginable.” 

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” he said. “Senior night, championship rivalry, it was all just beautiful.”

For Robertson, the win was an even bigger bonding moment than the team dinner at Fogo De Chão. “There’s different periods throughout the year where our team has bonded,” he said. “This might be the biggest moment. I feel closer to them than ever.”

O’Brien took a moment to appreciate the fans that attended the match. “The crowd was absolutely electric. It was the most electric crowd I’ve ever played in,” he said. “Emotions are running high, and we’re just super proud of the boys.” 

Cate was also proud of the team’s determination to come out on top, despite it being an extremely close game throughout all four quarters. “They came out strong. We came out strong,” he said. “We all came out and played together and gave it our best, and I’m just proud of all of us.”

Cate and O’Brien weren’t the only ones who felt pride over the victory.

Varsity coach Sean Kelly, who has been with the program for two and a half years, was incredibly proud of how the team executed its game plan. 

“I thought the team played amazing,” Kelly said. “They played within themselves, and they played our game plan to a tee. Everyone knew exactly what we wanted to get out, and they just performed it amazingly.” 

Looking ahead, the team will face Parkrose and Centennial, both away. They have to win one of the two remaining games to claim the league title. 

Since La Salle joined the 5A league in the 2014-2015 season, Wilsonville has finished first in the league every year up until now. 

The Falcons are now only one game away from achieving something no previous team has been able to accomplish in eight years. 

However, players and coaches alike are optimistic, and if the team is able to finish first in the league, they will have a guaranteed home playoff game.

“We like our chances,” Kelly said.