This weekend the Wildcats held their own on a double header on the road. Friday they traveled all the way to St. Helens to take on the Lions on their senior night. The next day the Cats traveled to Parkrose on another senior night. Playing on back to back nights is usually a struggle for athletes. Any bumps, bruises, or soreness from the night before would undoubtedly be felt in the concluding matchup of the 2 game stand.

Looking back to January, the Wildcats hosted St. Helens. The cats won this original matchup by a convincing 18 points. They saw room for much improvement though going into the second matchup at St. Helens. The tone in the gym before the game seemed very upbeat and excited. Being that it was senior night, the gym was full with family and friends of the five St. Helens seniors. The Lions up to this point have had a fairly successful season in contrast to previous seasons. They put the weight most of this success on the shoulders of their senior class.

The Wildcats had a great first half. They flew around on defense, shared the ball on offense, and had energy that could be felt throughout the gym. They went into half with a 19 point lead. The Cats struggled more in the second half. Apart from a booming alley oop dunk by sophomore Dakota Reber, the Wildcats played stagnant, as if they were content with the lead they had accumulated in the first half. The Cats closed out the game, winning by 22 and leaving their mark on the opposing senior night.

Saturday would be a similar story in terms of the first half of play. The Wildcats ran with pace and built a demanding lead early. Led by the scoring and passing of junior Jack Roche, the Cats went into half up 20 points. There were struggles in the third quarter, but an early outburst of defense and scoring in the fourth blew open the game. In the final minutes the rotation dug deeper in the bench so the swing players got to close out the game. With a final score of 83-43, the Wildcats finished undefeated in league for the second time in NWOC history. The first time being in last season’s state championship run.