Triant Reflects on WHS Boys Hoop Season

Although the Winthrop High boys basketball team came out on the short end of their recent state tourney game at Cathedral High, WHS head coach Mike Triant said that the season-ending loss did not detract from an overall successful season for the Vikings. “This team and our seniors can’t be defined by just one game,” said Triant. After Winthrop battled Cathedral, which was the fifth-ranked team in Division 4, evenly through a first period in which the Vikings trailed by just a point, 15-14, a combination of a stifling Panther pressure defense and Winthrop turnovers resulted in a 37-7 run for Cathedral in the second quarter.

“They really ratcheted up the pressure and we just had too many turnovers that led to Cathedral layups,” said Triant. The Vikings played well after the intermission and ended up outscoring the Panthers in the second half, 35-32, but the large deficit proved too much to overcome. “The boys didn’t quit,” noted Triant. “We pressed and tried to get out in transition right up until the final whistle and we played tough. 

We had the deficit to 17 with about six minutes left before we just ran out of steam. “Hopefully that game and this season serves as a great learning opportunity for all of the guys,” added Triant. The coach paid tribute to his seniors for their leadership on and off the court throughout the season. “I owe a huge ‘Thank you’ to our seniors, who led the way all year long,” said Triant.  “We didn’t get the ‘W,’ but we continued to lay groundwork for the program.  Our leadership this year set a great tone of what is expected.”

Triant in particular lauded the efforts of seniors Luca Zanelli and Chris Cappuccio in the final game of their Viking careers. Zanelli achieved a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and Cappuccio pumped in a team-high 22 points. “We have a good group of guys coming back to keep pushing us forward next year,” Triant continued. “More important than any win or loss on the year was the guys showing up to run the youth clinics at 8 a.m. Saturday morning before a tournament game. The entire team showed and had an amazing time helping the K and 1st graders learn the game.  We look forward to continuing to be involved in youth basketball next year. “One last ‘Thank you’ to our parents and booster club for being so selfless over these past few months,” added Triant. “High school sports are a huge commitment and to be successful that needs to be honored by everybody involved, and that starts with the parents.”