Following only the second winning season in 15 years for the Wright City boys basketball team, Coach Ryan Benz could not be more proud of his senior leaders.

The Wildcats finished a notch above .500 at 13-12, receiving balanced contribution from a myriad of athletes. The senior class had more victories than any other in school history.

“I had several coaches and officials praise them for their leadership, and it makes my job a lot easier,” said Benz. “Their leadership is really something that is incredible with every single one of them. They had a great attitude with a lot of humor I’m going to miss off the floor.”

The Wildcats triumphed over defending state champion Van-Far, who is still competing in the postseason. Benz was also thrilled with a third-place finish in the Clopton Tournament.

“I was very pleased with the season,” said Benz. “We competed in almost every game, which is something I really wanted. We also beat some really good teams.”

While Wright City faced an early exit from the district tournament against O’Fallon Christian, it was not for lack of effort or adaptability.

“Our ability to adapt from one game to the next, we were always making changes, and they were able to handle those changes and succeed,” said Benz.

Defensively, the Wildcats’ smoothness in adjusting to the opponent paid dividends on many occasions.

When it came to scoring, there were also many options, but Wright City preferred to keep it up tempo.

“Offensively we were a team that wanted to push the ball and did a good job of getting easy transition baskets,” said Benz. “As the year progressed we became a much better team with our offensive movement and getting guys open with better shots around the rim.”

Senior Dillon Seabaugh led the way with 15.1 points and 4.1 assists per game.

“He was a leader last year, but this year he showed by his play and actions on the court, making everybody a little better,” said Benz. “He recognized teams were guarding him a little bit different, and he wasn’t getting some of the open shots he was last year, so he looked to his teammates.”

Senior J.J. McRoberts was also an offensive leader for the Wildcats with 13 points and five rebounds per game.

“J.J. kept his emotions in check the entire season,” said Benz. “He was steady out there, and when others were getting too hyped or discouraged, we would get him the ball to keep everybody in check. He led a lot by his actions but would also speak up as well.”

Additionally, junior Branden Contreras contributed 9.9 points and 3.8 assists per game.

While they weren’t always statistical leaders, Christian Ebersohl and John Pezold played pivotal roles in the Wildcats’ success.

“Christian was a lot like the glue of our team,” said Benz. “He was always at the back of our press and willing to take a charge.”

Ebersohl 3.9 points and 4.5 boards per game.

Pezold found his role on the opposite end of the floor, being a nuisance to shooters.

“He was a defensive guru,” said Benz. “How we did on a given night defended upon how he did defensively. He was always on the other team’s best player, and he could take over a game defensively.”

Benz now faces the challenge of replacing a solid core of seniors who will make way for rebuilding the program.

“Losing six seniors is always going to be a difficult task," said Benz. “What I do like is that a lot fhe guys we return next year saw a lot of quality minutes too.”