Coming off two straight North Suburban conference championships, last year’s Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys’ basketball team finished the season in eighth place in the conference and only collected seven total wins. As the team enters their final stretch of the season, they have accumulated twelve wins and seven losses in what has a remarkable turnaround from last season.

Unlike the 2011-2012 Benilde-St. Margaret’s team that featured three dazzling division-one players, this team currently has zero: however, this hasn’t held back this year’s team who returned last season’s leading scorers Nick Birney, Colin Polarek, and Sam Lynch.

Many thought this season would continue to be a rebuilding year, but the Red Knights have already surpassed the seven wins from last year and currently hold first place in the conference with a 7-1 record

“As a team, we have gained a lot of experience from the start of last season. We are more accustomed to the speed of varsity basketball, and know what to expect,” senior captain Colin Polarek said.

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With a more experienced team this year, one can clearly see the difference in the way the boys have played so far. “This year, we are playing team basketball. Sam averages double-digits, but we do not really have one star; this means we need the whole team to play, and we are doing a great job of sharing the ball,” Polarek said.

A recent 70-48 victory over conference rivals St. Louis Park has propelled the team to their seventh straight conference victory after losing their first one of the season to Columbia Heights. The Red Knights look to continue their winning ways as they face seven more regular season games, six of which are conference games. “We want to win the conference and go to state. Both are achievable, but advancing to state will be tougher,” said captain Sam Lynch.