The CHS men’s basketball team practices in the Blue and Gold gym for their tough regular season schedule. The rigor of opponents helps prepare the hounds for the more meaningful games down the road in the postseason, according to Osborn.

After a close loss to Brownsburg the week before, the CHS men’s basketball team came out with a win against Ben Davis with a score of 49-39. Head coach Ryan Osborn said with games that take place in the midst of a long season, it can be hard to stay focused in practices and during games long enough to end up on top.

“We hit the midseason point and you feel like you’re playing well, and so you start to believe that you’re doing everything right, so a loss can highlight some of those areas where you can be better,” Osborn said. “Each week it’s about finding our weakness and then building on that.”

The hounds haven’t changed their game too much from opponent to opponent, however, Ben Davis challenged the defense with their asset of talent and size. Osborn said John Michael Mulloy would have to perform well in order to overcome the challenging offense, which Mulloy proved correct.

Andrew Owens, varsity basketball player and senior, said he expected himself and the team to play with energy. He said the loss to Brownsburg the previous week provided motivation against Ben Davis.

“(The loss to Brownsburg) is a good learning experience for us and it shows that we can’t take a day off. This whole week we have been working on the defensive side and staying locked in every play,” Owens said.

Moving forward, the team mentality remains the same as it was at the beginning of the season.

“We have a good group of seniors who understand any given week that it’s not necessarily who scores or who is giving us an individual spark, it’s more been about those guys getting closer and closer and understanding how their role fits in with what we do.” Osborn said.

For future games, Owens said spectators can expect energy and confidence in the team’s game.