Shannon Heston took a final moment to appreciate his seniors on Friday.

It’s a group that has led Seven Lakes to huge heights, their best ever record, back to back regional tournaments and three straight district titles. 

So with 3.4 seconds left in Friday’s Region III-6A Semifinal, with the Spartans season dwindling down in a 71-63 loss to Beaumont United, Heston took his seniors and starters out and shared a moment with each of them. Hugging them on the sidelines and telling each how much they meant to him before the final buzzer.

“I love those guys,” Heston said. “I don’t have kids of my own and these boys each year are a family to me and I love them to death, they’re why I do this. The wins are fun, so are the regional tournaments, but what means the most to me is being around those young men. In those last moments I just wanted the crowd to be able to celebrate them, to tell them how much they meant to me and how much I love them.”

It was a special year for Seven Lakes, the Spartans won their third straight district title, beat an undefeated Clements in the regional quarters and set school records on their way to getting back to the regional tournament for a second straight year. 

For three quarters of Friday’s regional semifinal it looked like the Spartans might go further than they ever had before, but in the end a tough, talented United team was able to hold off the Spartans, slowing down Seven Lakes just enough in the fourth quarter to end their season.

“It’s a credit to Beaumont,” Heston said. “They get into your business and they make things hard on you. We played at a pace we wanted but sometimes you get worn out. But the bigger part of that is their defense, they did a great job of making us earn every basket and they got physical in the paint. When we got into that size and strength competition down there, they just had a little more in that area.”

Both teams started the first quarter fast, the offenses were back and forth and while United built a four point lead late in the quarter, Seven Lakes came back and AJ Bates hit a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to trim United’s lead to 24-23, and things kept on being tight with the game going into the half tied at 41.

Seven Lakes built a five point lead in the third quarter, but things continued to be back and forth. United came back to take the lead late in the third before Seven Lakes came back and retook the lead in the final seconds of the quarter on a reverse layup from Nasir Price.

But United turned things on in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves scored 10 straight points to start the quarter, with the Spartans unable to put a point on the board until there was just 2:05 remaining in the game on a Nasir Price floater. Seven Lakes battled but was unable to mount the comeback. 

“The mantra here is ‘we are the ones that hunt,’” Heston said. “We are the ones who take it to everyone else and this team epitomized that all season long. Tonight they made United earn everything they got. When they play like that I’ll always be satisfied with the result because you can take someone’s best shot and fight back. That’s what these guys did all year.”

Seven Lakes season ends with a record of 36-3, the best record in the history of the program and the senior class that is exiting was instrumental in turning the program into one of the best in the area and state. 

But while the presence of Bates, Brett Norton and other seniors will be a hard one to replace, the team knows that the pieces are there to keep this strong run going next year and to keep pushing for that final goal.

“Those younger guys see how that senior class carried themselves, the work they did and the focus they had. That sets us up for success,” Heston said. “Those guys are getting led by example and we’re excited for them to step into those shoes, they’ve seen the blueprint. It’s going to be hard to replace those guys but I think we have what it takes to do that.”

Region III-6A Semifinal

Beaumont United 71, Seven Lakes 63

Points: (SL) AJ Bates 27, Nasir Price 14, Isaiah Santos 12, Brett Norton 10; (BU) Clarence Payia Jr. 18, Kavoe Dotson 17, Ashton Green 16, Daniel Williams 14, Weston Davis 6; 

Halftime: Seven Lakes 41, Beaumont United 41 ; 3-Pointers: (SL) Bates 4, Norton 2, Santos; (BU) Dotson 3, Paiya Jr. 3, Williams 2, Green 2 ; Records: (SL) 36-3; (BU) 33-3