The Dike-New Hartford boys basketball team has entered the offseason after a 12-12 season.
The Wolverines neared the .500 mark for most of the season, but strung together some quality outings near the end. In the last five games, they shot over 40 percent, a stretch that included two games shooting over 50 percent. Head Coach Alex Tagtow says the offense took a positive step as the season progressed.
“Offensively, we’re a much different team now than we were early in the season,” Tagtow says. “We had to kind of find our way, how we were going to score and what that looked like for us. And once we kind of got through Christmas break, we kind of, I think, collectively understood how that would work best. And the guys started really getting a feel. And efficiency-wise, we made big strides, really as we just got more comfortable playing together and kind of understanding that. So hopefully, we can hit the ground running with that next year and pick up right where we left off.”
The Wolverines navigated the season with a large junior class, led by Colin Meester’s 16 points per game and Carson Costello’s 12.5 points and seven rebounds per game. Only one senior, Jack Severson, appeared in all 24 games. Tagtow says the experiences the juniors gained gives him a positive outlook for the future.
“It’s exciting to have all those guys back. Generally played seven or eight guys most nights and to have all but one of those guys coming back is definitely cause for excitement going into next year. We were in a lot of situations that maybe were new for those guys. A lot of those tough road games that are a one possession game with two, three minutes left. That’s kind of new for all of these guys as juniors. So having all that experience, hopefully next year, we can kind of build on that and just continue to grow. But definitely exciting coming into the year with that much experience coming back.”
The Wolverines bowed out in the district semifinal round.
