By Trevor Klaus

Last Friday, the varsity boys put up a fight against rival South Lyon, but fell 36-42 . This was their 7th consecutive loss in a match up with the Lions.

The last time the Cougars won against the Lions was during the 2014-15 season, where they won 45-44 at South Lyon’s gym. Since then, they have not found success, as they have sometimes lost by as many as 20 points.

In this game, sophomore Nick Branton put up ten points, went 2-6 on the line, and recorded six steals. Senior Zach Guiets-Stafford put up nine points, including two three pointers, went 3-6 on the free-throw line, and snatched four rebounds. However, Stafford also recorded seven turnovers out of a team-combined 31, something which bothers him.

“[I need to improve on] my handles and finishing a layup,” said Stafford, who also missed some easy layups in the game. “It was tough and we put up a fight but we should have came out with the win.”

Varsity coach Ron Levin was also disappointed with the outcome of the game, but says that it’s only a sign of better things to come.

“Obviously we’re disappointed that we lost,” says Levin, “[but] we played hard and competed, and we feel like we’re going in the right direction as a team.”

In regards to the turnovers, he simply said that the team needs to be stronger with the ball. “They were more physical than we were,” he said.

Assistant coach Luke Trent, an East graduate and former player, also commented on the amount of turnovers East was pilling up.

“We typically don’t get into our spots quick enough, and I think that would make a big difference;” said Trent, “we need to get better with our ball skills. That’s stuff we need to work on at practice.”

East basketball had hoped they would continue the trend the varsity football team set, winning against the Lions for the first time in school history earlier this year.

Both Levin and Trent have said that the team will need to leave this loss behind them and focus on future games.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating to lose to your rival,” says Trent, “but I did see a lot of good things out there that looked positive for the games ahead.”

The Cougars face South Lyon again on February 9 in the Lions’ gym, and the team hopes  for a different outcome against their crosstown rivals.