Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our program. I had a lot of fun in my first year as head coach and am looking forward to another year!””

Orioles head coach Dakota Nichols

The Oriole boys varsity basketball season is over for this year, after the Orioles fell to Wautoma 83 - 70 on Feb. 28.

The result brings to a close a season that saw the boys varsity ranked sixth in the Western Cloverbelt, starting with an preseason tournament against Wausau West and Northland Pines and continuing into the playoffs, leaving a final record of 5 - 10 in conference and 6 - 19 overall.

As to Wautoma, notable contributions included Landon Karlen with 13 points, and six assists, including six successful free throw attempts.

Hayden Gustafson contributed 15 points and seven assists, while Henry Hoel contributed 30 points and 13 rebounds. Orioles head coach Dakota Nichols shared some thoughts after the game.

“Wautoma’s style of play was something we haven’t seen all year,” he said. “They were very fast, and were probably the best shooting team we played, having three players that shot at least 35 percent from the 3-point line on the season. This team averages 27 3-point attempts per game, which is by far more than any other team we played. We were able to keep it close all game, but then had a few mistakes at the end.” As to the season in general, Nichols shared the following:

“I’m proud of the boys for battling all season. Despite having a tough schedule, it felt like we were just one or two possessions away from winning a lot of the games,” he said. “Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way, and that’s life. The seniors are a great group of boys that will be missed by everyone. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our program. I had a lot of fun in my first year as head coach and am looking forward to another year!”