***This article was written by Alisha Chaidez, a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.

On Wednesday, the Wethersfield Flying Geese boys’ basketball team had their first in-season game against the DePue Giants and came away with a hard-fought 61-59 win. 

It was a very intense game with many close scores throughout.

Both teams had many good offensive and defensive plays, making it a very challenging game on both sides.

The opening possession was gained by DePue, but the first score on the board was a three-pointer made by senior Drew Hornback for Wethersfield.

By the end of the first quarter, Wethersfield had a 1-point lead, with the score of 13-14. The score stayed close the rest of the half, with both teams being both mentally and physically tough.

The first half ended with the score of 26-20 with the DePue Giants in the lead.

Hornback started the second half strong with another great three-pointer. The Geese had come out for the second half more alive than before. 

The Giants quickly responded, but sophomore Alejandro Garcia tied up the game with a three-pointer, making the score 38-38 by the end of the third quarter.

In the end, the Geese seized the win against the Giants, with the final score of 59-61. Both teams performed well throughout the match.

“There were lots of ups and downs, but the team stayed strong no matter what,” said Wethersfield Coach Kyle Galli.

For the Flying Geese, the lead scorers were Hornback with 19 points, followed by junior Collin Hodge with 13, and junior Kruz Galbraith, along with Garcia, both with 12.

Hodge stood out and led Wethersfield with 10 assists, while Galbraith led in rebounds with nine, dominating the board.

“We definitely could have performed better during the first half, but we worked our way back to take the lead, and we kept it for the rest of the game,” said Hornback.

The JV team for the Geese also took home a win, with the score of 53-22.