Senior night for Wilsonville boy’s basketball brought us many exciting and emotional moments, recognizing and honoring all of the hard work our seniors have put in at WVHS. Seniors Maxim Wu, Ryan Soderlund, and Bradley Keswick all were given starting spots in their game against Hillsboro, with senior Nutipak Zirbes joining the varsity squad as well.

The game against the Spartan’s was considerably easy-going for the Wildcats, syncing up nicely with the funky senior night vibes. Hillsboro has had a disastrous season thus far, losing a total of 20 games overall. It’s not hard to see why– they rely too heavily on forward Isaiah Kano and guard Damian Acosta to create opportunities. In particular, Kano seems to especially feel the pressure, often refusing to pass for much too long. Kallen Gutridge made his typical flashy jump shots and applied fantastic defensive pressure, but the seniors truly stole the show. 

Especially Soderlund, who had the entire student section passionately cheering for him and his legendary number 21. Wu and Keswick were in good form as per usual and had tremendous game impact, but Soderlund’s presence on the court was a treat to watch. Another wonderful abnormality was Zirbes coming off the bench in the 4th quarter to make effective and showy plays. The game ended in a decisive 59-21 victory for the Wildcats.

The team has their sights set on the postseason, looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. For our seniors, nothing would make their last year with Wilsonville boy’s basketball then back to back state championships.