On Tues., Jan. 13, the boys junior varsity basketball team faced off against McArthur High School at 4:30 p.m. The team entered the game looking to bounce back after a close loss to Cypress Bay High School on Jan. 9. The team has had a very successful 2025-2026 campaign thus far, with a 9-2 record on the season. MacArthur entered the game seeking their first win of the season, starting off 0-2.

“The key to success has been to work hard in practice and fix the little things, as well as give full effort on the court every game,” guard Bryce Hantman (1) said.

The game started with both teams playing tight defense. The junior varsity team and the McArthur team traded off steals and turnovers, making it very difficult for either side to get into an offensive rhythm. Guard Grayson Serbin (21) kicked off the scoring for the team with a three pointer midway through the first quarter.

On the next possession, Serbin hit another three pointer to cut McArthur lead down to one point, making the score 6-7. The first quarter was a back and forth battle, with neither team being able to pull away and establish a lead.

After another McArthur layup, guard Jacob Lowry (10) drove to the basket, scored and was fouled for an and-one layup. The free throw attempt was no good though, making the score 8-9. On the team’s next possession, Lowry hit a last second three pointer to tie the game at 11-11 before the end of the first quarter.

Coming out of the break, the team set the tone for the second quarter as guard Josh Hayes (4) scored a three pointer, giving the team their largest lead of the game. Lowry followed this with a driving layup to extend their lead to five points.

McArthur, however, went down the court and scored, then stole the ball and scored again, giving the team a 16-15 lead. Serbin drove to the basket and was fouled, sending him to the free-throw line to shoot two shots. He made one of two, putting the score at 17-15 with six minutes left.

On the fast break, Hayes got the ball in the corner and sank a three pointer to cushion the team’s lead. McArthur responded with a layup and Hantman followed up with a drive to the basket for an and-one layup. The free-throw was good and Hantman capitalized on the three-point play.

On the inbound pass by McArthur, Lowry managed to steal the ball back and dish it to Hantman for a layup. After another defensive stop, guard Joseph Levi (2) was fouled on a layup attempt for the team’s third-and-one play of the game. His free throw attempt was good, making the score 28-17.

MacArthur returned the favor by quickly going down the court and scoring a layup, stealing the ball and then subsequently scoring another layup.

By the end of the first half, the team had begun to pull away with guard Luke Sherman (0) getting fouled and converting on both free throw attempts, and then hitting a three pointer. This gave the team a commanding 33-23 point lead at the half.

The team excelled with their perimeter shooting and ability to finish through contact, but needed to adjust to McArthur drive to the hoop gameplan.

Entering the third quarter, the team’s perimeter shooting was on point, with guard Jack Kornblau (22) sinking a three to extend the team’s lead to 13 points. After a defensive stop, Serbin hit his third triple of the game.

Serbin shined in this match, scoring 10 points with his shooting beyond the arc on point, making most of his attempts.

“It felt great to make multiple threes and staying confident and consistent with my shot,” Serbin said.

After a defensive steal, forward Benjamin Story (12) scored a three pointer of his own, allowing the team’s lead to grow to 42-23 within the first four minutes of the third quarter. Then McArthur seemed to regain some momentum, as they held the team scoreless for most of the rest of the third quarter and kept scoring off drives to the hoop.

This momentum was finally cut after a driving layup by Lowry, followed by Lowry stealing the ball and converting on a fadeaway jumpshot. When the third quarter was all said and done, the team was up by 14 points with a 46-32 score.

In the fourth quarter, the team started off like every other quarter: with a three pointer. This time, it was guard Ethan Reeber (15) who sank the shot from beyond the arc. Three pointers were also made this quarter by Hayes and guard Gavin Cratty (5).

Despite McArthur’s last ditch attempts to tie the game, the team’s defense held strong in the end, giving them a 61-46 victory.

It was an all round great game for the team, but they must find ways to stifle the driving layup, as most of McArthur points resulted from quick drives and shots close to the hoop.

“We played a pretty good game all round, we just need to improve on a couple things to keep this good season going,” Sherman said.

It was a great performance by the team, beating Flanagan 61-46 to improve to 10-2. This season has been a major success when compared to last season, as the junior varsity team’s record was a mediocre 7-10. The team will seek to keep this successful season going against South Broward High School on Thurs., Jan. 15.