Boys basketball eager to make noise in Class 6A

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Adler waiting for his teammate to make their free throw shot.

The Derby boys basketball team was in position to play for a Class 6A in 2013 but couldn’t quite get there. The Panthers finished third that season.

“I’ve heard a lot of talk about that. Just to be put in a prestigious group like that of all those state contenders, it’s awesome. Hopefully we can make a run,” senior Bryant Mocaby said.

Senior Bryant Mocaby pulls up for a shot

Derby advanced to state in 2015 with an 18-4 record but lost in the first round. The Panthers are 15-6 and the No. 4 seed in a tournament where only top-seeded Blue Valley Northwest (18-4) has fewer than five losses.

For Mocaby, coming to a new school and helping them to a state title run is special.

“It’s just a dream come true. Coming in we had a lot of pieces we just had to put them together. We’re starting to put them together now, at a great time for sure,” said Mocaby, who transferred from Goddard.

The Panthers are excited and ready.

“We feel great right now, but we know (we’ve got to) get back to practice because we’re not going to stop there. We really want to get to a state title for sure. We’re all happy, we’re not satisfied yet. We still got to keep on going,” Mocaby said.

Senior Tyler Brown dribbles down the court

Heading into Thursday’s 8:15 p.m. game at Koch Arena, the Panthers know what needs to be done on the court.

“If we just stay focused on and locked in on what we’re supposed to be doing for the team, then I think we will be fine,” Mocaby said.

One thing to learn from the regular season games is staying focused on the task at hand.

“Just being locked in for a full 32 minutes. We’re starting to piece it all together, our defense is right there and we saw in the past sub-state games that once we put everything together and play for 32 minutes with our heart and soul, we can make something special happen,” Mocaby said.

Derby rolled past its two sub-state opponents by an average of 33.5 points.