Semifinals to the history books

The final game of the 2023 season for the Bombers boys basketball team was semifinals at sections.

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Dawson Sanford

Aiden Johnson uses his height to get a ball in the basket.

History was made for the second time by the Cannon Falls boys basketball 2023 team by playing in the 1AA section semi-final game against Lake City. The entire Cannon Falls student body and community is extremely proud of these boys for working so hard to get to the next level throughout the season, proving they can achieve the goals they set for themselves. All the memories the Bombers made throughout the season and postseason will be unforgettable, especially for the seniors. 

Although the boys Bomber basketball team is always excited and pumped up for each game there can also be some nerves seconds before stepping on the court. After asking senior Jadan Winchell what he was feeling during the postseason games, he responded: “There were nerves going into the games that got me pumped up to just play basketball.” The rest of his teammates also get in the mindset and headspace to play their game, especially during the post-season games. Winchell described a goal from the beginning was to play at the Civic Center and “even win in sections.” 

It is such an accomplishment that the Bombers made it to the semi-final game in playoffs, but it was hard for the seniors to walk off the court for the last time. Senior Jack Freeberg stated, “I wish we would’ve gone farther but I do think it was a good run.” Freeberg also shared that he made many memories with his teammates that will never be forgotten, memories that everyone on the team can look back on or laugh about. 

Another senior on the team, Tyler Johnston explained his emotions after their last game for the season: “I was sad and happy when it ended. Happy because I was proud of how far we got in the tournament but sad because it was the last time I got to play with those guys.” Johnston described the Bombers’ motivation as “trying to get farther than the 2016 team got.” He also explained that since 2016, they were the first team to win the opening playoffs game. The team just simply wanted to continue winning, like all teams do, especially with the intent to mark history for the Bomber basketball program. 

The Bomber basketball team has continuously grown throughout the season and all that hard work paid off. All of Cannon Falls students, staff, and community take pride in the accomplishments that this team has achieved and will continue to provide school spirit when the next season comes around. Go Bombers!