As the Jonathan Alder boys basketball season enters its midpoint with an overall record of 13-4 and a conference record of 6-1, expectations are high for the rest of the season. 

The team had their first conference game on December 12, 2025 against Urbana, which unfortunately ended in a 58-40 loss for the team.

“It was a late start,” says head coach Derek Dicke. “But as we’re growing right now, I can see we’re developing those core values [together, passion, grit, and accountability] and we’re relying on them.” 

Although this early loss could have been a setback, the boys then entered a winning streak, winning 4 games in a row. 

“We had some bad losses at the beginning,” says junior and player Ben McCain. “So bouncing back and taking the lead of the CBC has been exciting for us.”

Sophomore Danny Bentley has shown out as a top scorer for the team, averaging 17 points a game. Senior Garrett Bauer has also been a notable leader for the team, and was named as one of the athletes of the month in December for the Central Buckeye Conference.

According to Dicke, the team is special not because of a few players, but because of the way the team works together as one unit. He credits the team for their talent and dedication to the sport and one another. 

“This has been one of the best groups that they all get along and I think that is a very huge piece to any sports team,” says Dicke. “I tell them all the time the secret to the game is it has nothing to do with basketball. It’s about love and the more that you care about each other the more you’re going to play harder for each other.”

As the season begins to reach its final stretch, the team’s unity could play a huge part in the upcoming games. 

The next game is tonight at home against London.

As the team continues to look ahead, their main focus is to continue growing and winning together. 

“Winning CBC is a main goal, then, once we get past that, winning districts and regionals,” says McCain. “Repeating or even doing better than last year.”