Park Center boys basketball split its games last week, falling to Spring Lake Park on Feb. 14, before beating Andover on Feb. 16.
Spring Lake Park
Park Center boys basketball took its third loss of the season last week, falling 81-80 on Feb. 14 to Spring Lake Park on the road.
Despite the loss, several Pirates put together big performances in the loss. Casmir Chavis scored 23 points on the hosts, while Jackson Fowlkes scored 22 and Ari Gooch scored 21.
The result was an upset in the Northwest Suburban Conference, as Spring Lake Park was unranked in Class AAAA.
Andover
Park Center mounted a resounding response early in the week with a 101-43 win on Feb. 16 over Andover at home. This adjusted their conference record to 11-3, 20-3 overall this season.
The night started fast for Park Center’s electric offense, flying on a handful of dunks from Fowlkes and Gooch, along with several three-pointers, to quickly take a 10-plus point lead.
That lead grew to 57-20 by halftime after a non-stop first half from Chavis, Fowlkes and Gooch. Park Center got the job done defensively and looked in complete command at the break with a confident and fluid performance on the court.
Andover opened the second half with promising moments, but Park Center kept a comeback out of the question with moments of strength and the occasional three-pointer from the likes of Chavis and Temi Omotoyinbo.
Junior Josh Diggs, sophomore Daroyce Mills, and sophomore Josiah Smith came in for a few key minutes for Park Center as the half progressed toward its conclusion, a 101-43 Park Center win.
Park Center boys basketball head coach James Ware noted after the game that his players had to find the right response to their loss against Spring Lake Park, navigating the challenging pressures that surround the program amid its many successes.
“For high school kids, and Park Center basketball, the expectations are so high and believe it or not there is a lot of pressure on them to maintain at that level. It’s hard to do all year long. I’m sure the guys were tired of having me on them, but tonight was about how we’re going to respond. I’m proud of how we responded tonight.”
The combination of support and confidence can be a complicated one, but Ware noted that tough but genuine love between everyone in the program remains an important piece of the puzzle ahead of the post-season.
“It’s tough love but with a capital L.O.V.E. It’s only to prepare them for life,” he said. “It’s only to prepare them for the next step, especially the seniors. They’ve only got a couple weeks and the state tournament starts and we hope to be there.”
Park Center boys basketball will play one game the following week, traveling to Anoka on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Girls basketball
The Park Center girls picked up a win on Feb. 14, beating Spring Lake Park 67-61 at home. Jaliyah Diggs scored 17 points, while Tiana Loyd scored 14 and both Atlantis Brown and Mariam Alowonle scored 10.
The Pirates lost 72-55 to Andover two days later on Feb. 16, adjusting their conference record to 8-8, 12-12 overall.
Diggs scored 17 points against Andover, while Lyric Singleton added 12 and Briana Foster scored 11.
Park Center girls basketball will play two games the following week, hosting Robbinsdale Armstrong and Anoka on Feb. 21 and 22 respectively.
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