by Michael Harrell (Posted on January 23, 2026 @ 12:39 p.m.)

Seventh grade boys basketball prepares for game days during practice at school to win games and improve their skills. Gunnar Pape, who is on the team, explained how they prepare.

What Gunnar stated about how the team prepares is that all teams do layup lines, then the teams have a talk in the locker room, say a prayer, and then the team manager has a speech prepared every time before they play.

According to Gunnar, whenever the team loses a game, they focus on improving the areas they struggled in so they can be better prepared for the next time.

“Practice can change depending on the team, but not the rival team,” Gunnar said. The blue and gold teams have more conditioning and sometimes longer practices than the white team, but that’s it. They don’t practice differently against a rival team; they practice pretty much the same and equally against every team.

Away games also follow a routine. Gunnar said that when the Blue, Gold, and White teams get off the bus, they wait for other games to finish, don’t let anyone in the stands distract them, and do basically the same things they would do for a home game.

Struggle areas are a time of focus where the coaches spend more time on those skills until they are done really well, then they go back to normal practice. Gunnar added that he had a great year on the Gold team and was happy to play with good teammates and their star player, Charles Rodger, who scored over 100 points.

In conclusion, the seventh grade boys basketball team has developed a good way of preparing for games. They follow consistent routines before each game and focus on improving their weaknesses during practice. When the team struggles in certain areas, the coaches dedicate extra time to those skills until they improve. Whether playing at home or away, the team maintains the same routine, which helps them stay ready. Getting many points and winning many games shows how strong preparation can lead to both individual and team success.