After the Boys Varsity Basketball team defeated the Orleans Bulldogs in a conference match-up, 45-41, on Friday, it brought their record to 18-0. The Rams have broken a school record with the most consecutive wins, currently set at 18, with five regular-season games left in the season. Being undefeated in basketball is a hard thing to do; besides the Rams, there are only two other teams in Indiana still currently undefeated.
“It is always a good feeling when you are undefeated, especially this late in the season. High school athletics are competitive. Kids play because they like to compete. We all compete to win, so any time you are undefeated, that is a good feeling. Teams that are undefeated this late in the season typically have players who are bought into the program. They are invested. They have kids who have made sacrifices to be successful. That is the type of players we have this year. Success doesn’t happen by accident,” said Head Coach Dusty Cole.
The Rams are currently undefeated in conference play at 4-0 and are the front-runners to win the conference with two conference games left against the 7-13 Perry Central Commodores and the 8-10 Crawford County Wolfpack.
The Rams hope to continue their winning streak for the rest of the season, but their focus always needs to be on their next game.
“To be honest, being undefeated doesn’t affect our coaching at all. We really don’t talk about rankings or being undefeated all that much. The thing about being undefeated is that it really only focuses on the games that were already played. The ones you can’t do anything about. Our focus always remains on our next game, our next opponent. That is the mindset we try to keep our players in as well,” said Cole.
Every Tuesday, on John Harrell’s website, team rankings are updated, the USA poll ranks by class, and the IBCA poll is overall in Indiana. On Tuesday, February 9, the Rams were ranked as the number 1 team in the 2A class on the AP poll.
Coach Cole takes the ranking in stride.
“Rankings are kind of like shout-outs. Being ranked #1 is a big shout-out to our program. Talking with Dave on the radio, neither he nor I can remember a time when Paoli was ranked #1. It’s a great accomplishment. It’s a shout-out to our program, our players, our school, our administration, and our community. Does it mean anything? I don’t know. Not really. Doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t change anything. Once again, it only takes into account the games that were already played. We do know that rankings are earned, though. And a lot of people have contributed to Paoli earning that ranking. We also know there have been some outstanding teams here at Paoli that never earned that top ranking. So to be mentioned with some of those great teams of the past and to accomplish something that those teams never did… well, that’s pretty cool too. It’s something to be proud of. We also know that working your way up to being ranked the top team in the state is not easy. Hasn’t ever happened here at Paoli. But now a whole new challenge arises. That challenge is staying on top. Top teams are constantly getting knocked off. Everyone is gunning for you. I think our guys are up for that challenge. We will continue to keep things simple. We will continue to focus on the next game. We will stay humble and remember all the things that got us to where we are now. We will try to reach our goal of improving every day,” said Cole.
The Rams look to continue their undefeated season and maintain their number 1 ranking as they head into the sectional.
The sectional draw will be on February 22, from 6-8 p.m., and the Rams will find out their bracket for the sectional at Salem High School.
On Friday, the Rams take Perry Central at home, JV starting at 6 p.m.
