Waukee High School ready to face new challenges after state championship run
WAUKEE, Iowa (BVM) 鈥� In its first home game of the season, the Waukee High School boys basketball team hosted newly-formed Northwest Waukee in the first installment of a thrilling new rivalry.
鈥淏iggest game of the season,鈥� junior forward Vance Peiffer said.
In that game the Warriors went toe-to-toe with Northwest, but unfortunately lost in overtime 80-76.
鈥淚 thought we played well for the second game of the season but obviously we should鈥檝e finished it out better,鈥� Peiffer said. 鈥淏ut we got better because of that game.鈥�
The reason for all the excitement is that following last year, Waukee High School split into two schools, Waukee and Northwest Waukee, which also meant that the Warriors team that had just won the state title last year would also have to split up. Between seniors graduating and juniors Omaha Biliew and Pryce Sandfort leaving for new schools 鈥� Sandfort now attends Northwest Waukee 鈥� the Warriors brought back very little experience.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a brand new team,鈥� head coach Kevin Kanaskie said.
The team is made up of mostly sophomores and juniors who have not gotten real varsity playing time before this season. But the Warriors have not let that affect them. This young team full of juniors and sophomores has stepped up to the challenge so far and is making the most of their opportunity.
鈥淭hese guys want to get out there and play, show what they can do,鈥� Kanaskie said. 鈥淭he foundation is here, we just need to work hard.鈥�
Part of that foundation has been Peiffer. Entering the season Peiffer was expected to be one of the key contributors for the Warriors and so far he has lived up to that expectation. He is the second-leading scorer on the team, leads the team in rebounds and is anchoring a defense that is second in Class 4A basketball in blocks per game (4.4).
Along with him there have been other Warriors that are stepping up like junior guard Cade Littlefield, who leads the team in scoring and assists. Sophomore guard Keysean Moore scored 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three in the Northwest Waukee game and is the team鈥檚 third-leading scorer.
鈥淚 feel really good about our progression as a team,鈥� Peiffer said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a young team so we have a lot to learn right now and we鈥檝e gotten better each game.鈥�
The Warriors haven’t faced easy opponents either. Their schedule and conference is full of talented teams.
鈥淓very Tuesday and Friday night we鈥檙e going to play against some really good players on some really good teams,鈥� Kanaskie said.
But the Warriors are up for the challenge. They know that if they want to reach their goals they will have to play against the best.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to get better so that our peak is at the end of the season,鈥漃eiffer said.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e still finding our roles but I think we鈥檙e filling in pretty well.鈥�
There is still plenty of season for the Warriors to figure it out but their identity is already starting to show. Entering the season they planned to be a team that distributed the ball well and they have made that a reality. Waukee is averaging a little more than 12 assists per game and that is just one example of how the Warriors have been playing to their strengths.
The Waukee Warriors may have a new look with some new players, but they still plan on ending the season with a playoff run just like in past years.
