FRENCHTOWN — After finishing the regular season with a 14-4 record, Frenchtown has clinched a top seed in the Western A boys basketball divisional tournament.
While this seeding was determined by a tie-breaker and a little luck thrown the Broncs' way, head coach Brandon Robbins sees this as an opportunity for his team to make a splash in the postseason.
“We were fortunate to find some ways to win games to own that tie-break and (to) get that 1 seed is great. The kids deserve to celebrate those things,” Robbins said. “But that was kind of a last-week thing, and we’ve kind of refocused onto being 1-0 each day.”
All of Robbins’ players have bought into that mentality with a team chemistry that has been building for years.
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Frenchtown forward Henry Griffin said the team has come up with a name for the work they put in.
“We call it team-ness,” Griffin said. “It's just, we're a bunch of guys who just love to play hoops together, and we all look forward to coming into the gym.”
That hard work in the gym has built a big and tall lineup that looks to dominate in the paint against every opponent.
Although their work on the court has translated to an impressive season, Frenchtown center Hank Smith said many of these athletes' work in other sports has also made a difference.
"A bunch of athletes, we all work hard, we know how to — I mean, the football boys, they won a state championship this year,” Smith said. “They know how to work. I just feel like we're an older team this year. We've got a lot of experience and we're ready to go.”
All of that combined experience has made Robbins believe his squad is ready for the games ahead of them.
But he also knows the journey through the postseason will not be easy.
“Find ways to just get stops and make shots, and it's going to be a really tough tournament,” Robbins said. “The West has been very, very competitive throughout and it's going to be a lot of fun for people to watch. ... We're just going to try to control what we can control, and if we can find a way to win a couple of games and extend our season, that's what we're planning on doing.”
Frenchtown tips off Thursday against Polson in the Western A divisional tournament in Hamilton.
