After finishing the MBCA HOF Tournament as runner-ups, the basketball team broke into the state rankings as number 13 overall.

“We feel like there is something for us to prove, and we’re also getting a sense that our hard work is paying off,” Stephens said. “We’re definitely not ready to settle though, we want to continue to improve every time we step on the court.”

The team began the season unranked.

“I’m wasn’t surprised by our initial ranking,” Stephens said. “We lost a lot of experienced players last year that played very key roles in our team’s success.”

Stephens believes that every team has motivation and that not being recognized allowed the team to “push each other to be better.”

Stephens is not surprised to see his team ranked at 13, however he thinks other teams might think they don’t deserve the ranking.

“People may look at our roster and think that we’re a small, weak team,” Stephens said. “But what they don’t see in our team is our toughness and competitiveness.”

According to senior guard Michael Dunn, rankings are not what his team is looking for.

“It’s a step but we aren’t going to stop working and settle now that we get a little recognition,” Dunn said. “We are playing to win games, not get high rankings.”