Ben Murphy
Sports Scene
Through 10 games of the season, the Frankenmuth boys basketball flew unscathed. However on Friday, January 25, the Eagles were upset by a team that was .500 entering the game and fell to Swan Valley 51-48 in a non-league game.
“We just lost for the first time, and while you hope you never lose, we want to respond to that adversity positively,” third-year head coach Andy Donovan said of the loss to the 6-5 Vikings. “If we keep working hard and stay humble, knowing that our next game is all that matters, we’ll be successful.”
Despite the loss, the Eagles sit at 5-0 in the Tri-Valley East and control their own destiny to win a conference championship.
“It’s going to be down to the wire,” Donovan said. “Bridgeport’s only loss is to us and they’re always a tough, well-coached team, and the league in general is very competitive. Like a lot of leagues, if you don’t bring it every night, you’re going to get beat.”
Donovan feels his squad is getting its success this season, not because of one or two standout players, but rather because of the entire roster.
“We have nine seniors on our team, and our depth is pretty rare,” he said. “When we’re healthy, we play 10 guys who all contribute. We’ve had one game this year [the loss to Swan Valley] where at least eight guys didn’t score. Really, all 13 guys contribute. We’re a team, we support each other, and our practices are generally very competitive.”
The coach isn’t about to let his players mull over the loss for too long, and he added that he is looking forward to getting the blemish out of their minds.
“In all honesty, we’re really concerned about getting better,” Donovan said. “We’ve tried very hard to only talk about our next game.”