The MVHS boys basketball team lost to Branham 65-69 in overtime on Nov. 29. 

The game had started off strong for MVHS, and the Spartans took a small 3 point lead in the first period. However, during the period, senior Brigham Robinson suffered an injury that ended his game.

Junior shooting guard Diego Inocencio said that one reason the team lost the game was because without Robinson—who was one of the tallest players on the team—the Spartans were no longer able to effectively guard Branham’s tallest player, which allowed Branham to score crucial points.

“We’re an undersized team, but I think that, [the] people who [were] guarding him, did great,” Inocencio said. 

Despite the game taking place during Thanksgiving break, there was minimal student turnout in the crowd. However, Coach Mack spoke specifically about the energy of the players on and off the bench. 

“I mean, our guys play hard every day. They do a really good job of their energy intensity level,” Mack said.

Despite the loss, Mack credited Noah Shahraz for his great offensive performance especially during overtime.

“He carried us in that overtime and made some huge plays down the stretch for us,” Mack said.

Overall the game was competitive and close, and Mack commended his team for playing hard despite the loss. 

“Offensively, I thought we could have been a little bit better on our decision making,” he said, “but for how hard we played, our guys competed and played hard.”