Winter Sports Preview: Owls hope late-season success carries into new season

However, the Owls turned a corner at the end of the campaign, winning four of its last five regular-season games before falling to Sturgeon in the opening round of the Class 2 District 5 Tournament – and Evans thinks his team can carry that momentum into the new season.

“We have to do a better job taking care of the basketball and valuing each offensive possession,” said Evans, whose Owls finished 6-15 last year. “On the defensive end, we have to be in the right spots and limit the amount of shots the opponent gets by hitting the boards hard. We played some pretty good basketball when everyone was healthy towards the end of last season. 

“My hope is we carry some of that confidence gained winning some games late in the year over into 2022-23.”

Silex will look to its upperclassmen to lead the charge, but Evans said he is looking for contributions throughout the lineup.

“We have three returning starters from last year in Josh Price, Cole Fessler and Tyler Twellman. Those three will be our leaders,” he said. “I also look for contributions out of Tim Carroll, Jake Henry, Max Lavy, Ryder Hopkins and newcomer Hunter Hubbard.”

Evans said he is looking for improvement across the board from his team, and he believes the Owls will be much better, especially as the season goes along.

“A good season for us would be reaching double digits in wins, getting three games each in the Clopton and Bowling Green tournaments and making some noise come district time,” Evans said. “As long as we come ready to play every night and give max effort, I will be satisfied.”