Haven Boys Basketball Wins District Championship

The start of the season was a bit rocky for the Haven varsity boys basketball team, which lost the first two games to Chute Middle School.

"I told the team, 'It's a long season, we will see them again in the championship game,'" Coach David Eshaya said.

Eshaya saw in the next practice that his Northstars wanted to get better and play as a team. And that's exactly what they did, winning four games in a row. The team was having fun and began to trust one another, passing and moving the ball as a team without caring who the main scorer was. Eshaya said he saw maturity within a few weeks of the season.

Normally, the team's bus rides were loud and chaotic, but on the day of the championship, the bus was quiet and focused. Eshaya knew his team was ready.

The championship game was a true seesaw game from start to finish — Chute would take the lead, Haven would respond and reclaim it, and the cycle continued. Throughout it all, both teams stayed positive and connected.

One moment in particular stood out. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Eshaya was preparing to sub out the starters, and the team immediately said, “No, keep them in.” In that moment, the team had fully embraced a "team first" mindset.

"Nonetheless, the game went into double overtime," Eshaya said. "We had our chances earlier to seal the deal, but missed a few key free throws at crucial moments. Still, we continued to battle in the second overtime and ultimately defeated our cross-town rivals, 67–57!"

Congratulations to both teams on a great season!