LHS boys basketball team head and assistant coaches, Jeffrey Halseth and Scott Embry, received recognition by getting the coach of the year honors, Halseth receiving head COY and Embry receiving assistant COY, after winning the state championship. After ending with a 13-13 record, the team hit a few bumps in the road at the beginning of the year, but by the end of the season they were playing with good chemistry. The coaches and the players put together their best performances as they wrapped up the season the way that they did.

Although satisfied with the honor, the team’s successes and how they showed out in the state tournament was more important to Halseth and Embry. Being the coach of the year is not a minor thing, but neither is coming back as unexpected state champions.

“Being coach of the year is a nice honor, but it honestly isn’t anything you ever think about or worry about,” said Embry. “We have a great staff that works well together and has been together for awhile. How your team progresses is a more concerning matter. We were shaky in January and the boy’s decided at the right time to figure it out! Most of the credit goes to the way they decided to play in February and March.”

The state championship that led to this award was not necessarily an expected one for the team, but the hopes became higher when they started playing as well as they did towards the end of the season. As the coaches started to pull together, so did the team, and the puzzle became complete at the perfect time.

“We always think we have a shot,” said Embry. “I personally thought that if we could get to the tourney it was anybodies to win this year. We proved that.”