The boys basketball team travelled to Xavier High School Feb. 13, winning 61-53 over the Saints. Senior Greg Ford led the Trojans, scoring 14 points, five rebounds and two assists. Neil James ’27 and Ahmet Toz ’28 also played well, with James’ 10 rebounds and Toz’s 10 points against Xavier. In the meantime, the girls hosted Xavier for senior night, defeating the Saints 64-56. Four seniors were honored, including Ava Frese, Grace Fincham, Abby Neumiller, and Kate Van Waning. Three players scored in the double digits, with Grace Fincham ’26, Abby Neumiller ’26 and Ava Frese ’26 scoring 19, 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The following Monday, the girls lost a close game to the #1-ranked Johnston Dragons, 55-65.
On Feb. 17, the boys held their senior night, dominating Cedar Rapids Jefferson by 33 points. West pulled ahead in the first quarter and never let go, outrebounding the J-Hawks by 14 and shooting over 50% from the field. Senior Jack Jensen-Fitzpatrick scored the most points with 16, followed closely behind by Ethan Headings ’26 with 15 points. Izayah Adams, Ayden Anderson, Henry Elser, Greg Ford, Owen Harms, Ethan Headings, Jack Jensen-Fitzpatrick, and Lowden Van Daele were all recognized before the game as seniors.
The boys fell to Des Moines Valley Feb. 23 in the first round of state preliminaries, losing by three points in a heartbreaking ending. This ended all postseason hopes for the team this year. Meanwhile, the girls qualified for state after consecutive wins against Muscatine and Iowa City Liberty to win their substate bracket. They will play in the state quarterfinals against Waukee Northwest at Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa March 2 at 3:15 p.m.
