Despite the chilly gymnasium air, it didn’t take long for things to heat up during the JV face-off against Chesterton on Jan. 31. After a shaky start, the boys were able to come up on top with a final score of 45-37.

“At first, I didn’t come out with a lot of energy and it felt like I was lacking on defense. It felt like I wasn’t communicating well with the team,” Sean Griffin (10) said.

After scoring a quick five points within the first two minutes of the game, Lake Central was off to a solid start. However, as Chesterton picked up their offense, they came out of the first quarter with a nine-point lead.

“In the second half, I came out with a lot more energy. Our coach came at us hard and told us to just pick up the pace, to keep playing and to try to get the win,” Griffin said.

Things were not looking up as the game continued. Trailing the Trojans up until halftime with a score of 25-19. In the third quarter, though, things started to pick up. Ethan Darter (10) tied the game up 27-27, quickly followed by a two-pointer by Griffin, ending the third quarter with the Indians in the lead.

“The game taught us not to start badly, to start out strong instead of playing a game catching up. I think it’s gonna teach us to come out hard so we can come out with a win in all four quarters instead of having to catch up,” Griffin said.

The JV boys will go on to face Merrillville at an away game on Feb. 7.