The Lake Forest Scouts left Stevenson looking for answers after losing 61-36. Strong defense from Lake Forest was the deciding factor, preventing Stevenson from scoring easy buckets. 

From the start, Stevenson struggled to make their shots and rebounds at the same level as Lake Forest. By halftime, they were down 36-17 due to Lake Forest making a high volume of shots.  

“We didn’t set the tone defensively to start the game, [and the team] gave them a lot of confidence,” said Stevenson Boys Basketball coach, William Benson. 

According to Stevenson’s starting point guard Aidan Bardic ’25, Stevenson had short bursts of good runs throughout the third quarter, led by players like Atticus Richmond who scored 16 points. However, Lake Forest immediately countered with another round of shots, keeping the lead through the third and fourth quarters. 

“We had a few decent spurts, but nothing could get it in striking distance,” Bardic said.

In response to the continuous barrage of baskets led by Lake Forest players like Tommie Aberle’s 20 points, Bardic believes the Patriots started playing more isolated one-on-one possessions in order to jumpstart a potential comeback. Bardic also noted the game’s mental aspect, recognizing its role in their loss.

“I think they got in our head once they got that big lead,” Bardic said. “I was just thinking it went to hero ball (a form of play where everyone attempts to lead a team comeback individually) from all of us, not just one person.”

Moving forward, Benson placed the focus on the improvement process, stating the need to move on from this game. Benson also stressed the urgency of addressing their mistakes before the playoffs.

“We brought up a lot of stuff to fix, and we have plenty of time to do it, but it has to start tomorrow at practice,” Benson said.

Benson recognizes that building upon the successes of the team is a crucial part of the changes he plans to make. Even as individual players shined, Benson is looking to improve their team’s cohesiveness before the playoffs. 

“At the end of the day, we have to be at the best come playoffs, not December,” Bardic said.