When it comes to reaching goals, the Southwest boys basketball team has few regrets this season.
The Class 3, District 12 champions, for the first time in 57 years, and Southwest Holiday Tournament champions turned in a 21-8 season filled with excitement and celebration.
“It’s hard to say one season or team is any better than any other, but we met a lot of our goals,” said Rusty Roe, Southwest coach. “You can’t realistically expect this every year, but it was great to do what we did and to do it for the community.
“Outside of winning districts, the Holiday Tournament was a highlight for us. I think it allowed the guys to understand how to win a tournament. winning that first one as a team is something we had to do before we could win districts.”
Roe said at the beginning of the season, the team set the goals of winning the Southwest Holiday Tournament, winning the SouthWest Central League and winning a district title. Two out of three, Roe said, is a success.
“We reached expectations, and it’s pretty incredible and a testament to these kids and the team we had,” he said. “There are probably several things we could have done better, but we don’t dwell on that. We worked hard and played with intent.”
The team’s intent was driven by a class of seniors that have left a lasting mark on the program.
“They are competitive in the way they practice and play against one another all the time,” Roe said. “I didn’t have to coach that or instill or communicate why that is important. It was all them. They are also coachable. I could push them, yell and scream, and they never took it personally and only wanted to get better.
“When you have players that are capable, competitive and coachable, those three Cs coming together, you don’t get a group like that every year. They brought that to our team.”
Roe hopes that leadership filters down to the younger players, who he said showed the most improvement this season.
“Our JV is where I saw the biggest improvement,” he said. “What they are able to do or not do in practice means a lot. They had a rough season as far as wins and losses, but they stand out as our biggest improvement.”
Another key to the Trojans’ success was their sixth man — Big Red.
“In the community, people have been following this team and have desired a district title for a while,” Roe said. “It was a blessing to get to do this. There have been better coaches than me over those years and equally skilled teams. To get to be a part of it is just a blessing.”
While the fan support was high at the two title games Southwest played, Roe said it was not unique to those games.
“I’ve said before, if our fans had showed up at those games like that for the first time, that pressure might have scared us,” Roe said. “The community here believes, and they celebrated with us. I think midway through the season, that continued support was what pushed us to win districts.
“The community of adult fans and the student section, I can’t say enough about them. When you win a championship, you take pride in that no matter what, but the fun in that is sharing it with other people. Our fan support made it much more worth it for us, and them getting to share in that success made it so much more exciting.”
With four Trojans graduating and four returning, Roe said expectations for next year have yet to be determined.
“We’ve already started looking at next season, and there’s enough of a shift it’s too early to say where we will be at and who will be there,” Roe said. “Several spots are open with only four returners, so this summer will be important. We will be a brand new team, so we’ll see what we have in the summer and set goals and expectations in the fall.”
Brendyn Paulsen led the Trojans with 14.6 points per game, and his brother, Lucas Paulsen, was second with 12.5. Zak Corwin put up 10.6 per game, and Jesse Holder contributed 10.2.
Brendyn Paulsen also led on the boards with 9.5 rebounds per game, and Brandon Brooks was behind him with 5.5.
Holder led the team in 3-point shooting with 39 made, shooting at a 39 percent clip. Lucas Paulsen led the Trojans in assists with 71.
