By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington High School’s boys basketball team didn’t lose often during its historic season, but when it did, it got the players attention.
“We stopped taking it as a joke and we got back on track and got on a good winning streak,” senior All-Stater Dazon Farris said in reference to the Purple Raiders’ last regular season loss on Feb. 3 vs. Urbana.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Patti’s interview with coach Mosley on WJBC.
That was one of one losses BHS would suffer in a season in which it set a school record for wins (27) in claiming the Class 3A Third Place trophy with a 62-56 win Saturday over Springfield Lanphier at Carver Arena in Peoria.
“That was probably the best thing that could have happened to us,” sixth-year coach Micheal Mosely said.of the home loss to the Tigers. “We rallied together and decided to fight through this together.”:
Mosley inherited a proud program which suffered three straight losing seasons and endured a 3-26 campaign in his first year.
“(We) got them to really focus and start thinking about Bloomington and the aspect of thinking about a team as opposed to individual awards, and I think that shows,” Mosley said. “You can get recognized through the team effort.”
Farris said the team bought in to Mosley’s philosophy.
“As long as we win and no matter how many points we have or what the box score had, as long as in the record it had the ‘W’,” Farris said. “We compete as a team, we play as a team, we lose as a team.”
For anyone who suggests this Purple Raider team was a one-year wonder, junior guard Colton Sandage begs to differ.
“We might be even better next year,” Sandage declared.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
