Claire Aimone ‘26
Staff Writer
aimonecal@lakeforest.edu
The men’s basketball team recently traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, to compete in the Emmanuel Tip-off Tournament on November 16 and 17th. The Foresters faced off against Emmanuel College and Endicott College during the tournament, coming out of these games with both a win and a loss. Their first game took place against Emmanuel, where the Foresters started out the game with a very strong offensive performance, showcasing their teamwork and energy on the court. By the end of the first half, the Foresters had 41 points, demonstrating effective ball movement and high shooting accuracy.
The second quarter was a very hard-fought battle, with both teams determined to take control of the game. The Foresters and the Saints found themselves tied at one point in the game, with the lead shifting multiple times, which kept the competition intense and the outcome uncertain for either side.
In a conversation with Alex Knight ‘25, a captain on the team, I asked how the team managed to keep fighting through the constant lead changes and what kept them motivated to push forward. Knight said “ Just trusting each other. We know that basketball is a game of runs and that teams are going to try and respond to our offense. Being able to trust each other and stick to our principles on both ends of the floor helped us be able to stay poised when they weren’t on their runs.”
I then asked Alex what motivated him personally and the team as a whole. “ I would say being competitive helped motivate us and that starts in practice,” said Knight. “I give credit to Coach Grigg for keeping practices competitive. It is going to be huge for us if we can maintain the level of competition throughout the season. It should translate to even more success.”
The Foresters eventually came out of the game with a 79-66 victory, which was the first of the season after falling to MSOE and Wheaton College in games one and two.
Next, I spoke with Coletran Marchand ‘27 about the team’s mindset going into the second game after defeating Emmanuel. “During the first game, all any of the guys wanted to do was win. After coming off two losses at home and flying to Boston to take on the tournament host team, there was some uncertainty,” said Marchand. “But at the end of the day, with this team, we only know how to play with our backs against the wall. In the first game, it became a game of who wanted it more, and it was clearly us.”
In game two of their Boston trip, The Foresters battled hard until the end but ultimately fell short. Despite their efforts, they concluded the game with a final score of 73-87.
“Endicott was a much different team than Emmanuel. They weren’t as athletic or skillful as the players at Emmaunel, but they knew how to play together as a team. That play style took us by surprise, especially since we weren’t able to do much scouting on them the night before the game.
“We didn’t really know the team inside and out like usual. It was a rough game, but I am proud of how we played against them without a ton of film. Overall, I think that trip was a success.”
The Men’s Basketball team came out of their Boston trip with both a win and a loss, but looking forward, the team learned a lot about both their collective strengths and weaknesses. This experience will help the program reflect as later this season they will look to make some noise in the Midwest Conference after having last appeared in the post-season in 2019-2020.
