The Avon Echo

By Emerson Zuranski

On Jan. 6, 2024, the boys’ basketball team made history. After an 11-year drought, the team won the County Championship, defeating Danville High School in the finals.

The team was able to share such a special moment together. When the final buzzer rang, they knew it had been done. They became champions. As for sophomore DeAndre Lott-Hancock, the best part of winning was “just seeing everybody happy. We were all happy for each other, excited, it was a big moment.”

To become county champions, Lott-Hancock said the team had to become one.

“We’ve all been playing very well together as a team, being there for each other on and off the court,” said Lott-Hancock.

The tournament was a battle, beginning with an opening round matchup against Brownsburg, which went into triple overtime. After that, the Orioles faced off against Plainfield, and when a half-court shot at the buzzer went in, Avon had made it to the championship.

To defeat Danville in the finals, it was going to take determination, since the Warriors had won 11 of their 12 games at that point in the season.

“We knew we had to come out and finish the job after winning two big games,” Lott-Hancock said. “So [we] came out with a lot of energy. Everybody hyped up, trying to make history.”

Avon did just that.

“They didn’t think we could do it. We went out there, played our best. We showed everybody what we could do,” said Lott-Hancock.