The entire state-ranked Wildcat basketball team showed up early to practice on Friday night. They talked and joked amongst themselves while they warmed up, but they clearly weren’t there to play games. Their record-setting winning streak is now 15 games deep, and they have no plans of letting it end there.

The team’s three captains, seniors Michael Raisch, Connor Nicholson and Logan Coughlin have been playing with many of their teammates since they were kids and think all of that time has hit upon something special this year.

“We’ve been playing with these kids since we were little. We’ve been playing with these kids forever and now it’s all coming together,” Raisch said.

Raisch and Nicholson were also on the 2016-17 squad which set the record of 10 consecutive wins that this year’s team shattered. They didn’t expect big things for this year, but they’ve become the best basketball team in their town’s history.

“Nobody thought we could have done it,” Raisch said. ”Everyone thought this would be nothing like our sophomore year, but it’s more than that.”

Even though the boys were surprised, their coach, Steve Laidlaw, wasn’t.

“It wasn’t shocking to me,” he said. “I really, fully expected that we could have a good year.”

To get to where they are, the boys have put in copious hours of practice and working out together. Nicholson said the team gets about a month off at the season’s end and then they get right back to it. And it shows.

The team communicates well and knows how to play to each other’s strength. They’re not concerned about individually rushing the hoop and being a hero; they’re more concerned about working well together.

“If someone hits a shot, we’re going to try to call a play for them so they can get another shot right after that,” Coughlin, one of the team’s point guards, said.”(I) just try to play toward their strengths. It really just depends on who has the ability and who’s hot right then.”

Laidlaw works hard with the boys to be a coachable, amicable team. He said he has athletes on this year’s team who play less than they have in the past, but he never hears complaints. He’s happy to see that because he isn’t concerned about the kind of basketball players they are. Laidlaw wants to see them become good men.

“I’m not going to know how successful we were until 10 or 15 years down the road,” he said.”What kind of men are they? What kind of husbands are they? What kind of fathers are they? What kind of community men are they?”

Throughout the year, he walks alongside the boys teaching them the “Five C’s” of character, compassion, compete, coachability and confidence.

Before this season started, he had the boys literally washing the feet of those less fortunate through the Samaritan’s Feet program to teach them about compassion.

“We did that in the preseason and now our whole season has just taken off. And we’re always going to be part of (Samaritan’s Feet). People ask why compassion is one of our Five C’s: Because life’s bigger than you, and you should serve people.”

Laidlaw said the attitude of putting others first has made the team’s season. He noted senior Dujoun Williams, the team’s “third-best” player, comes off the bench in games and is happy to do so.

He also spoke highly of Nolan Hiler who, though he isn’t a captain, led with his attitude when he was hurt and had to sit out in January during the game against Pontiac, which became the match to break the school record.

“When Nolan was hurt, his backup Zach (Townsend) scored 18 points,” Laidlaw said.” The biggest cheerleader that game for Zach was Nolan Hiler. You can’t teach that. You hope that happens, but you can’t teach that.”

The boys recognize the need for a work ethic and integrity, and attribute the fact that they have it to Laidlaw’s leadership.

“Coach Laidlaw is the hardest worker on this team,” Nicholson said.”Honestly though. We probably get a month off. Like once the season ends for the younger guys, they’ll probably go right back to it with morning workouts, 6 a.m. workouts, open gyms. Laidlaw is coming in before work, after work, putting in the time and effort, and we just want to give that back.”

But they’re also not getting ahead of themselves. They know their streak could come to an end at any time and have no intention of getting lazy in the coming weeks.

“We haven’t done anything yet.We haven’t won the league,” Raisch said. “We need to keep playing like we are right now for the rest of the season.”

“We’re taking it one game at a time,” said Trey Townsend, a junior and the team’s second-leading scorer. “We’re not overlooking any opponent. The record isn’t sure, any team could beat us, any team can beat anybody and we’re just keeping that in the back of our mind. Every game, every practice, you’ve got to work.”

The boys also hope the community will continue to support them and be in it for the long haul as they approach tougher teams.

“We’re the best team in school history,” Nicholson said.”We need everyone out here supporting us.”

And Laidlaw? Well, with seven seniors leaving his squad this year, he’s looking forward to watching them finish their time as Wildcats. He knows not every team can be the record-setting, tight-knit one that he has right now and he’s enjoying that. This is a special season, and he attributes that to his boys.

“Do I hope this continues? With the years going on, I hope so. But I’m also not naïve to realize that this could be just one special team.”