It wasn’t looking like a solid start for the boys basketball team during the last week of preseason. Going into the first game of league the boys team was missing a few players getting ready to play against Baldwin Park. Players had gone absent from testing positive of COVID. 

“I think COVID has set us back as a team because we lost practice time to get better and preseason games, “ stated Luke Kemble, a varsity player at Don Lugo high school. Some of the players thought that it was going to set them back and they weren’t going to be ready to play their first league game. In the first league game that they played, they came out with a win against Baldwin Park 72-55 .

It affected Luke Kemble as a player because he had COVID himself and had set him back as a player. The team also practiced when they were all in quarantine individually, “During our quarantine we had zoom workouts as a team to get better and strengthen our conditioning” stated Isaiah Yoguez, a junior at Don Lugo high school. 

The team still found a way to work out together to prepare for the league but it was not the same as being in the gym working with each other. “I still found a way to work while I was home in quarantine because I didn’t want to come back and feel all rusty,” stated Isaiah. The coaches planned on bettering the team by making them stronger and faster for the league opponents. 

It affected a couple players because they had COVID themselves, “It affected me as a player because I had COVID myself and it was kind of hard coming back from it” said Kemble. When it was time to come back and play most of the players were excited to go back and play, “I was so happy to step back into the gym with my teammates and start practicing for the league” said Isaiah. They have been doing good in the league with a 3-1 record.

The team was separated from each other for 2 weeks and would only be able to see one another through their zoom practices, “The worst part about the whole quarantine was not being able to see my teammates and I had to stay home,” states Kemble. The team was finally happy to be back together a week ago. They’re ready to come back stronger than they were in the preseason and take over all teams in the league.

The coaches are also ready to make the team stronger than the opponents that they will be competing against this year. “Everyone is finally here and is getting stronger day by day to get ready for the rest of the season that is left and work harder than last season,” said Isaiah. The worst part about a team becoming sick with COVID is that they all have to be apart from each other and aren’t practicing how they are use to when they are all together in the gym. However, the Don Lugo boys basketball team has much skill and heart to compete and win at the highest level.