BELLEVILLE, Mich — A year ago, the Belleville Tigers made their first ever appearance in the state final four well that season ended without a state championship oddly enough that loss in the semi finals inside the Breslin center was a blessing in disguise now return more motivated and focused than ever with the clear gold in mind to finish the job this time around.
“Last year we didn’t really know what to expect, but this year we’re a lot more experienced” said Sophomore Sydney Savoury.
And what a difference a year makes, as the tigers have dominated their opponents, winning by an average of 40 points a game and a 22-1 record.
“From the get go we’ve been trying to dominate every single team we’ve been playing, and all that just carries momentum to getting there,” added Savoury
“I know a lot of people may see like we’re blowing people out they must have been a bad team but to be honest we play the same every game. If it’s a hard game or if it’s a low class game I think we play hard all the time and we don’t want to let people know it’s a fluke. So it is Belleville basketball," said junior guard Se'Crette Carter.
However, you don’t get that good by just rolling out of bed, it takes some hard work and tough love as well.
“I think a lot of kids don’t understand how hard it is to be great. So this team didn’t have no off days. They put basketball first, they put the team first they really bought in to what were trying to do off season and that really carried into the season” said 5th year Head Coach Jason Wilkins.
“Everything he does we have to do hard, we have to do with effort energy, because he says the ways we practice is the way we’re going to play and I can definitely agree,” added senior point guard Rylan Buschell.
While Belleville has rolled through most of their schedule, the lone blemish came at the beginning of February when they fell to Wayne memorial, but Coach Wilkins knew they would be fine from there.
“In the locker room I looked at the kids and I knew right then and there that they was not satisfied with losing and since February 1 every practice has been competitive every game been competitive,” he said
“It was a reset and now we’ve just been taking every game like it’s our last” said Savoury.
And while every game could be their last, this team has built a foundation that’s shown it has the staying power.
“We’ve really built a powerhouse and I think we’re encouraging young girls to come here…I think bringing people here is the best thing just showing that we have a winning mentality and we don’t settle for less and it’s just our standard," said Carter.
