The boys basketball team competed in the Iowa High School Boys State Basketball Tournament for the ninth consecutive year on Wednesday, March 6. After defeating Dubuque Senior earlier in the season by two points, the Trojans took on the Rams again in a rematch in the quarterfinal round.

In a close first quarter, West was leading the Rams 18-12. Dubuque Senior came back fighting and outscored West 12-5 to give them the lead, 24-23, going into the second half. Patrick McCaffery ’19 had nine points followed by Marcus Morgan ’21 and Nick Pepin ’20, both with five points apiece in the first half.

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Kara Wagenknecht

Head coach Steve Bergman watches the game during the fourth quarter on Wednesday, March 6. "[Dubuque Senior] is a really hard team to prepare defensively. We just struggled on offense. We took some uncharacteristic bad shots, we missed some easy shots. We've been so good in the last couple of games. They did a lot of good things," said head coach Steve Bergman in an interview after the game. "You just have to finish games like that by taking care of the ball, making free throws and making easy shots."

Throughout the second half, the teams remained neck and neck. As the third quarter closed, Dubuque Senior led the Trojans 31-30. With 2:29 left in the game, McCaffery made two free throws to give West the lead, 36-35. Dubuque Senior led by one point with 24.1 seconds left. After scrambling at the basket to regain the lead, West ultimately fell to Dubuque Senior 36-39.

“Great season, great bunch of guys,” said head coach Steve Bergman. “We had a very tough season, I think the toughest schedule in Iowa, and you know you’re going to trip up. Truthfully, we had one kid back who played last year, so it wasn’t easy, but they come to practice everyday and they listen and do a good job. Great kids … I wish I could be here a couple more games, but that’s not happening. It’s always good to play here. It means you achieved one of your main goals when you start the season.”