It goes down as the game-tying three that never went into the hoop.

The West Boca Bulls, who came in as large underdogs, played hard and smart the entire night, but ultimately, the Bulls lost by three points to the Boca High Bobcats, 65-62.

Simply, it was the definition of a rivalry game. From technical fouls to aggressive defensive plays, both teams overcame a ton of challenges to put on a show in front of a large and loud West Boca student section.

At one point, the Bulls were down by 20 points, but fought hard and showed a lot of heart against a tough opponent to cut the deficit to three points.

Jack Lillich led the way with 16 points for West Boca. In his previous four games, Jack had two points, three points, six points, and zero points, respectively. Luke Rhodes added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Michael Bonina added nine points and three assists.

On the season, Michael and Luke are tied as West Boca’s scoring leaders, each averaging 14.5 PPG.

Despite the loss, the Bulls showed a lot of fight, especially considering how young this team is. The Bulls only have one returning starter from last year after losing 10 seniors.

Meanwhile, the Bobcats showed how talented (and big) their roster is. Junior Brendan Mahoney was unstoppable and even had an amazing dunk that stunned the fans. West Boca lucked out when Mahoney received a tech, requiring him to sit on the bench for the remaining minutes of the game. Another junior, LaVar Jamison, led the way offensively for the Bobcats.

Sebastian Saint-Louis led the way on the defensive side of the ball, recording multiple blocks and a lot of rebounds.

Simply, Boca High’s lineup had a ton of chemistry, which contributed to the big win.