*This story, originally posted on Jan. 16,  has been updated to include the results of the Boys Varsity game of Jan. 16 vs. West Boca.

The Olympic Heights Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity Basketball Teams are in the final home stretch of their respective seasons. The Varsity team is 5-8 and the JV team is 6-7.

The varsity team suffered a huge injury in the Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches at the Benjamin School when starting point guard Evan Botwinik suffered a broken nose. He will miss most, if not all, of the remaining games this season.

Coming off the holiday tournament, the varsity team was blown out by Dwyer 61-29 on Jan. 9, causing some to question whether this squad wants to win. That loss was followed by a 53-51 loss to The King’s Academy which ended with a questionable call costing OH a final chance at a three-point shot to win the game.

However, the team has shown resilience in the past and is hoping to bounce back in the closing weeks of the season. The first step toward that goal came with a 73-60 victory at West Boca on Tuesday, Jan. 16, for the second win this season over the Bulls. The Lions got off to a quick start at West Boca, at one point holding a 29-point lead in the third quarter.  Austin Geller lead the way for the Lions with 27.

While the Lions are not necessarily considered the “team to beat,” in districts, they are 3-2 in district play and are looking to go deep into the district playoffs at William T. Dwyer High School.

The JV team is coming off of a great tournament in which they finished second to Park Vista High School. They went 4-1 and won two games by more than twenty. This JV squad just had a tough 12-point loss to Dwyer, getting off to a slow start in the game, but they eventually got within two and three points during certain stretches of the game. This squad has shown its persistence towards the common goal of winning.

Both the Varsity and JV teams, as well as the girls Varsity team will be at North Broward Prep on Thursday, Jan. 18.