On Wednesday, Feb. 22 and Friday, Feb. 24, Hinsdale Central’s boys varsity basketball team won their first two playoff games against Proviso West and Riverside Brookfield at Lane Tech College Prep. The Red Devils came out victorious in both games, with final scores of 56-36 and 52-39. These mark the team’s 29th and 30th win this season, and allows them to advance to the Sectional Semifinals.

“We have all been playing together for years so our team chemistry is great and we work well together and compliment each other’s strengths,”  said Evan Phillips, senior.

This is the boys’ 22nd consecutive win of the season after they beat Glenbard West 54-34 on Feb. 14 at home.  

“The team [has been] preparing by going hard in practice, taking care of our bodies, watching film, and spending time together,” said Billy Cernugel.

Currently first in the conference and sixth in the state, team members have said they’ve been happy about their successes this season. Going forward, they plan to continuously improve both their offense and defense by working hard in practices and putting in the effort.  

“My favorite thing about our coaches is how much they care about each of us and how they have tons of confidence in our abilities, they show up everyday and push us hard to make us a better team,” Phillips said.

In addition to the team dynamic, Red Devil students and faculty have been equally as amped up for the basketball victories this year. Students enjoy showcasing their Red Devil Nation pride and supporting the team at their games.

The varsity cheerleading team is going to each playoff game as well to pump up the crowd and basketball players.

“Cheering at their games has been super fun, I try to encourage my friends to all go as well which they usually do,” said Aubrie Benjamin, senior and varsity cheerleader. 

Pack the stands on Wednesday, Mar. 1 at home to cheer on the Red Devils against Lyons Township.