Girls and boys basketball got their first region win as a basketball program. After a rough first half of region, the boy’s varsity team won the program’s first region game against Salem Hills.

The basketball program does not just include the two varsity teams. For girls, both the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams have not won a region match. Likewise, boys Sophomore, Junior Varsity, and Varsity were winless before Varsity’s win against the Skyhawks. 

With the boys having two of the top three teams and the girls having two of the top five teams in their regions, the decision of moving up to 5A is on the minds of the athletes. 

Athletes aren’t complaining about how unfair it is to be in this region, instead, it is about the potential success they could have had in the old region. 

“I’m glad that we are in this region, but it hurts to see our old region and know that we would be really successful in it,” said Junior Caroline Cook. 

This region has Ben Lomond, Cedar Valley, Juan Diego, Ogden, Stansbury, Tooele, and Uintah.

Girl’s basketball is still looking for a region win and is looking to put together four quarters of solid basketball.

”We have moments where we look good. We just need to be able to play that way for a whole game,” stated Cook.

Girl’s basketball is very young and inexperienced and every game is a step in the right direction. With one senior on the team, Park City will have most of their roster returning for next year.

With the struggle to find wins, the season is not lost. Instead, the season is being used as a year to develop the future. 

With the possibility of seven Juniors coming back for their Senior year, the Miners have been using the opportunity to increase the experience across the program. 

Even though the wins may not be popping up this season, the young core is getting better every day and learning what works and doesn’t in 5A basketball.

Boy’s basketball has the same attitude about moving up. 

“If I could choose what region we were in, I would pick the region that we are in right now,” said Senior Ben Hase. “We would probably have more wins in the other region, but this region challenges us and forces us to play well every night.”

The margin for error in this new region is so small and every minute matters. Boy’s basketball has experienced this multiple times with five losses of single digits including losing by single digits twice to the number one ranked team in 5A.

“Our goal is to put together 32 minutes of good solid play,” said Boy’s Varsity Coach Thomas Purcell. 

With every team having the capability to beat the other, every minute matters and a lapse in focus could cost the game. Every team has the talent to win, it comes down to who is willing to fight the hardest and play well for the longest.

These battles have helped to prepare the Miners for the most important part of the season. 

Once the playoffs begin, Park City is ready and looking forward to the possibilities. 

“Our region has helped prepare us for what is coming,” said Senior Vicente Sanchez. “Being in the toughest region, we know we can play with anyone and have already seen the best in 5A.”

Playoffs will begin Tuesday, February 18th for girls basketball and Wednesday, February 19th for boys.

With the regular season coming closer to an end, Miners basketball will look to progress their overall record in region and enter the tournament playing their best basketball. Sanchez put the season in perspective by stating, “In the end, it doesn’t matter what our record is in region. The only thing that matters is that we win our games in the tournament.”