The boys’ basketball team, led by Scott Maggio (12) with 17 points, fell to Holy Trinity 73-47  Saturday.

It was a close game for a majority of the match but without two star players, the Wildcats fell short.

Bennett Kent (11), on the varsity basketball team, is one of the players unable to play.

“It’s hard to watch from the side, especially when it’s a close game,” Kent said. “I just know if I was in the game, I could help the team get the win.”

Kent, who along with Henry Pavlik (11) was suspended for the game, said he tries to help the team from the bench.

“I can cheer and support off the court,” Kent said.

Kyle Peters (11) said Scott helped the team stay in it.

“With Bennett and Henry [Pavlick] (11) off the court Scott was a great help offensively,” Peters said.

Kent said Luca Sullivan (10) and Daniel Shelton(12) also stepped up.

“Luca and Daniel did really good getting the rebounds we needed,” Kent said. “Holy Trinity is known for offensive rebounds, and we made sure they didn’t get as many as they wanted.”

Kent said it didn’t take much for Holy Trinity to get a lead.

“All it takes is a few runs for the other team to gain momentum and stretch that lead,” Kent said. “They were hitting their shots at the same time we were missing ours and we ended up not being able to come back.”

West Shore is now 6-13 overall and are preparing for district playoffs. With five games remaining in the regular season before districts, the boys are making sure to improve everyday and clean up their act.

“I feel like we played well, made a few mistakes overall like panicking and turning the ball over,” Maggio said. “However the team and the way they are playing now compared to other games is incredibly different, and shows it on the court. We still lost, but it was a good game and fun to be in.”

While missing key starters Bennett and Pavlick and other players facing sickness, the Wildcats have lost three in a row.

“I think the team did surprisingly well,” Kent said, “It’s very promising to see us compete against tough teams knowing we don’t have our full lineup, It gets me excited for districts, because I think we have a lot of potential to go all the way this year.”

By Liam Schutte and C.J. Coyle