After cruising through the first two rounds of the tournament, the Academy boys basketball team suffered a season-ending loss against long time rival, Worthington Christian. The Vikings fell just short, losing the game 51 to 49 after a high intensity fourth quarter. Although the team’s run may have ended prematurely, the loss should not undermine an extraordinary season and a remarkable legacy left by the class of 2013.
Academy ended its season with a record of 19-5 (11-3 in MSL), finishing 2nd in the Mid State League behind Newark Catholic, and only losing two non-conference games all year, against top-ranked Bloom Carroll and Worthington Christian. In Coach Warstler’s first year as varsity basketball coach, he produced both a winning team and an exciting team to watch. The Vikings truly dominated most of their competition this year, making it all the more disappointing to see their tournament run come to a close.
Most of the seniors on this year’s basketball team began their Academy basketball careers with Warstler as their head coach in the 7th and 8th grades, so ending it with him seems fitting as well. The class of 2013 won two Middle School Basketball League Championships and another MSL title at the varsity level in 2012. It finished its varsity basketball tenure with an overall record of 65-29, and two district final championship appearances, one in which they came out victorious. After dropping 19 points on Tuesday, Daniel Aronowitz finished as the high-point man for the senior class with 982 career points. Even though we will no longer see this senior class on the court, we will always remember the work they have done through their four years.
Written by Lee Solomon’14
