Boys Basketball

On Feb. 7, the Lancers beat Pattonville, 70-58, breaking a three-game losing streak. While the game was tied at 54-54 after regulation time, the Lancers overpowered Pattonville in overtime, 16-4. Head Coach Brian Keim attributes their overtime win to the team’s overall mentality.“I think it comes down to being in close games all year long and having the mental toughness to finish the game. We were mad at ourselves for giving up the lead to allow them to tie it so we finished it in overtime,” Keim said. After their overtime victory, Lafayette beat Parkway Central, 63-47. Senior Matt Haefner scored a game-high 21 points. Lafayette’s overall record stands at 11-12. On Feb. 14, the Lancers will face Whitfield at 7 p.m., and Feb. 16 they will face Mehlville at 6 p.m.

Girls Basketball

The Lady Lancers broke a four-game losing streak with a 42-39 win over Holt. Freshman Faith Szukalski had a game-high 12 rebounds. On Feb. 10, Lafayette beat Parkway North, 40-28. These wins are their first consecutive wins in the season. On Feb. 14, the Lady Lancers will face Pattonville at 5:30 p.m. and on Feb. 16 will travel to Lindbergh. 

Hockey

After their 3-3 tie against Webster Groves on Feb. 6, the Lancers have moved into the quarterfinals of the Wickenheiser Cup. They will face off against Clayton in a two-game series that will take place on Feb. 13 and 14. Senior Spencer Xu, who scored once against Webster Groves, believes the team’s mentality will be key against Clayton. “Our mentality will be important because a couple of games ago we weren’t really in the right mindset and we lost to a team we should’ve beat. We need to focus on getting the job done,” Xu said.

Girls Swimming and Diving

The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 2 District Meet was Feb. 10, and all three divers advanced to the State Championships. Senior Maggie Arceneaux won 1st place, sophomore Lucia Tenny won 2nd and junior Eva Vierling won 4th. The State Tournament will take place Feb. 16,-17, where both swimmers and divers will compete. Thursday will be the preliminary round (top 32) for swimming and diving. The finals (top 16) are Friday. “I think they’re going to do great at State. All the swimmers and divers have worked hard this season and it’s exciting to see their hard work pay off.” Coach Leah Ralph said. “I’m really excited for three divers to have the opportunity to represent Lafayette at the state meet once again this year. We have all worked really hard and it’s rewarding to see that work pay off,” Tenny said.

Boys Wrestling

Boys wrestling will compete in Districts on Feb. 24. In preparation for Districts, Coach Joseph Wier emphasized that the team will have to focus on offense to be successful. “Our biggest focus is to stay calm and have an attack mentality.  This time of year being passive in this sport does not work.  Wear and tear on your opponents and after 2-3 minutes on the mat, they will begin to crumble.  Our team has a full gas tank and so if a team wants to beat us they better pack a lunch,” Wier said. He also believes their preparation could lead to District success. “District preparation really starts on day one of practice. We train throughout the year to get ready for the end-of-season run.  We have had 14 morning practices in addition to the afternoon practices in order to give us an edge.  The team works on video reviews on certain opponents as well this time of year.  We do some mental visualization to help our team become comfortable with the situation as well.  We even pump in crowd noise in our practices to simulate the environment at districts,” Wier said. “If we compete the way we have most of January then we have a fantastic shot and winning the District Tournament.”

Girls Wrestling

On Feb 10, the Lady Lancers finished 3rd Place at the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Wrestling Tournament.  Junior Toby Goertz and freshman Hannah Henderson both won 2nd place and seniors Dashiya Houston, Jayla Jones, junior Maddie Johnson and sophomore Aaliyah Grammer won 3rd place and all advanced to the upcoming State meet. On Feb. 24-25, they will be competing at the Class 2 State Tournament in Columbia. “First thing I want to say is how proud I am of all the wrestlers this past weekend. All the girls represented themselves and their team with sportsmanship and competitive drive. Third place is the team’s best finish this season. There are also a record 6 girls going to compete at the state tournament. Hopefully, this is a sign that they are peaking at the right time and will continue to improve,” Head Coach Wade Pinkston said. “At Districts, I didn’t wrestle my best in my finals match but felt good overall about the whole tournament. We had six girls qualify this year which is amazing and more than we have ever had before. I’m excited for State, and I’m ready to work my hardest and remained focused as I finish the season,” Henderson said.