Lansing boys basketball flying out of the gates again

Over the past few years, the Lansing boys basketball team has made a habit of getting off to a hot start, and this season is no exception.

The Bobcats won all seven of their games in December, being the only team in the IAC—and one of just three teams throughout all of Section IV—to have an unblemished record in the opening month of action. Head coach Joey Volpicelli gave credit to their upperclassmen for helping guide them through some difficult matchups.

“There’s been no blowouts,” Volpicelli said. “Everything’s been close. I think it’s some of our senior leadership with Jordan [Sidle] and Ryan [Pettograsso-Houk] out there that has helped us get over the top. We’ve been able to win some of these games early, but the game we played [against Dryden] could have went either way. That was a tough, hard-fought game.”

That game versus the Lions was their closest game of the season so far, prevailing 57-52. Down by six points at halftime, the Bobcats rallied back to notch a key divisional victory. They did so despite fielding a smaller roster this season. Alex Girich (6 feet, 7 inches) and Chase Sneddon (6 feet, 4 inches) both graduated in 2024, so going up against a Dryden team with five players at least 6 feet tall was no easy task. That’s led to a change in their style offensively, and it’s safe to say it’s worked out so far.

“We’re more of a 5-out team instead of [having] big in the middle and then kind of playing off of them,” Volpicelli said. “But guys that were on our team last year played with those bigs. They played with guys that were bigger than them every day in practice. So even though Dryden was bigger, I can’t say that we were completely used to it, but these guys are familiar. Those are still some of their best friends that they still play with all the time.”

The Bobcats have certainly made plenty of shots this season, averaging 64 points per game. A big part of that has been the play of Jordan Sidle. The reigning All-State selection has put up multiple performances with at least 25 points. Opponents are well-aware of the scoring threat that he brings to the court. But that’s allowed him to distribute the rock to great effect.

“You see people game planning around him,” Volpicelli said. “He’s got to use his teammates, and he’s doing a very good job of getting others involved. And when he does that, then teams have to adjust. That just frees him up even more. We’re not there yet team-wise, but you can see it growth-wise since we started back in November that if he can trust his teammates and everybody can work off each other, that just makes it that much easier for him.”

Another sharpshooter who has flourished is Ryan Pettograsso-Houk. Last season, he emerged as the Bobcats’ three-point specialist. While he’s still excelling from beyond the arc, he’s become more well-rounded offensively.

“Last year, he was kind of our spot-up guy, the guy that people are going to help off of, and we’re going to kick it to him,” Volpicelli said. “Now he’s more incorporated, and he’s stepped up. He’s not afraid to take the shot anymore. He’s not afraid to put the ball on the floor and go to the basket either. After a while, guys are just going to play out on him. They’re going to take the shot away, so he’s got to figure out how to go to the basket. It’s something that we worked on in the offseason and that we’ve worked on a lot in the beginning—even if it’s just two or three times—just to show that you have that.”

Sidle and Pettograsso-Houk are the lone returning starters after the graduations of Girich (now playing at St. John Fisher), Aiden Hathorn (now playing at Nazareth), and Austin Crandall. With that, Aiden Vooris has been elevated into the starting lineup after usually being the first player to come off the bench last year. Jaxson Mayo is back with the Bobcats after missing last season due to injury. Jackson Tarbert rounds out the lineup following a strong campaign on the junior varsity team.

The Bobcats are looking to repeat what they achieved last season: an IAC championship and a deep run in sectionals, making it to the Class B final. Volpicelli knows that despite another flying start, there’s still plenty of work to be done.

“We’ve just got to come to practice every day and keep working,” Volpicelli said. “We got to keep working hard. We can’t take any days off. We have some new guys and some veterans, but we haven’t played together all that much in the grand scheme of things. The more we play together, hopefully the more in-tune we get with each other. Sharing the basketball is a big push for us and rebounding. If you can share the ball offensively, move it around, and you can play defense and finish with a rebound, good things will happen.”