From dominance to doubt, Thousand Oaks Boys’ basketball falls to Westlake, Calabasas, and Oaks Christian after winning 16 straight games overall, building a solid record of 16-0 before the losing streak. Although they haven’t won any league games, TO is going to bounce back from this minor setback. “ I feel disappointed, but I’m not worried. I’m hopeful that we’ll get through this,”  Senior Stefen Sherman said.

​“It was a lack of focus,” junior Jaydon Nwene said. “Our coaches gave us a game plan to follow, and we would follow it for slow spurts, but towards the end, we lost focus, and that’s why we ended up losing.” 

“I think our mindset changed—we thought that we were going to win all these games, and it was going to be easy, we came in thinking we were going to win and lost because of it.” Senior Dylan McCord said.

The losses served as a wake-up call for the team, helping them re-focus and approach each game with greater discipline and effort moving forward, reminding them that every game matters.

 “We need to start playing for each other and not for us individuals like stats, just follow and listen to the game plan,” Nwene said. Moving forward, the Lancers plan to refocus, trust one another, and bring the same intensity and discipline that helped them start the season.

The losing streak has shown the Lancers that staying focused is extremely important. After winning 16 straight games, the Lancers admitted they lost some of the focus that helped them be successful early on. 

“Our focus was bad, we weren’t locked in on our assignments, we just weren’t focused, we had been focused for 16 games and then stopped,” Sherman said.

When the Lancers stopped paying attention to details and defensive assignments, it made it easier for other teams to take advantage. Even though winning the league and going into CIF is now more difficult, the Lancers are not giving up on their goals.

 “The main goal is to win the league, obviously, which is now in jeopardy, but if we can get into the playoffs,” Nwene said.” We will  try our best to win.” 

The Lancers know there is still a chance to turn the season around, and making the playoffs would give them another opportunity to prove themselves. Every game from here on out matters, and the team understands the urgency.

“In the moment after the losses, you know, disappointed in the guys and myself because we came this far and now we’re letting up,” Sherman said.  The losses have been frustrating, but the team is staying positive. With better focus and better effort, Thousand Oaks hopes to bounce back, play together, and finish the season strong.