It was crunch time for the Cannon Falls Boys basketball team. Playoffs were right around the corner and the team hadn’t even played to their full potential yet. They have had some quality games but they haven’t put it all together. Head coach Josh Davisson talked about the team and what their game plan would be coming up “We can play a half of good basketball but we need to just put up a solid thirty six minutes to be able to win.”   After the Hayfield game, the Bombers went up against the ferocious Pine Island Panthers, who have a solid all around team including two talented seniors. For the most part Cannon stayed in the game until the last five minutes. The game ended up being 72-50. Next, Bombers hosted Wabasha-Kellogg at home and lost 75-59.

The game after Wabasha proved to be the one of the toughest games of the year. Cannon was to go up against Lake City, who proved to be a state-championship caliber team with their play. It didn’t end well for the Bombers with the score being 68-34 but the boys kept working hard to get ready for the playoffs that were around the corner. After Lake City, Cannon seemed to turn on a switch and started to play some better basketball. Up first were the Stewartville Tigers, who were a very talented team. It proved to be a competitive game but Stewartville pulled away by hitting some clutch free throws and shots late in the contest. The final score was 53-41. Next, the boys played the Kenyon Wanamingo Knights and pulled out the win with the score being 43-41. It seemed that the boys were starting to turn their season around.

The boys were to play the Triton Cobras, who got beat by the Bombers the first time around in a intense game. This time, the Bombers started out hot shooting and had a good lead going into the end of the game. In a matter of minutes, the Cobras slithered back into the game and snuck away with the win. The score was 51-48. The next two games were non-conference games against C.H.O.F and Houston. Both games were played extremely well but the team only managed one win during the two games. They beat Houston 80-37.

After the immense win in Houston, the Bombers were starting to play some quality basketball. They showed that against two very good basketball teams in the Zumbrota-Mazeppa Cougars and the Caledonia Warriors. Both games were close but the boys couldn’t get the wins. As for the rest of the regular season, Cannon played the Byron Bears, Goodhue Wildcats, and Rochester Lourdes. The boys were given the 11th seed in the playoffs and were to play the Pine Island Panthers in the first round. It was the start of March and the boys dreamed of a big upset against the Panthers. The March Madness has just begun.

The end of every sports season has a bittersweet ending. For the seniors on this team, it was more bitter than anything. Cannon ended up losing to Pine Island 80-54 in the last game of the season. The five seniors were given a terrific applause as they walked off the court for the last time ever and the sadness could be seen on each of their faces. Despite their record, the guys that played for the Bombers this year gave it 100 percent each time they set foot on the court. These seniors will be missed but the team is looking forward to the next season because of the good experience that will be coming back. All in all, the 2017 season proved to be full of memories that’ll never be forgotten.