LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood High School boys basketball team ended its season on a high note, defeating Cedarcrest 51-48 on Feb. 10.

Lakewood came back and won the game by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from senior Eljay Johnson.

“Every basketball player remembers the last game of their career, and for Eljay to go out like that is special,” Lakewood head coach David Choi said. “This is a memory he and I will treasure for the rest of his life.”

Lakewood faced significant point deficits throughout the game, but managed to come back and take the win.

For Choi, there was no better way to end a basketball season than by upsetting a highly ranked school.

“It’s always a goal for every high school team to win their last game of the season, and for us to do that is great,” he said. “Hopefully, we can win our last game of the season next year on a Saturday.”

Choi was happy for his seniors, walking away with a win that capped off the season, but he’s also anticipating next season.

“We are excited to return over 10 varsity lettermen for next season,” he said. “Hopefully, this win over such a formidable senior-laden playoff contender, like Cedarcrest, will give us momentum going into this off-season and next winter.”

Though there were rough patches in the Cougars’ 2013 season, Choi commended the effort the seniors put into their final season at Lakewood.

“I am so proud of our seniors, and all the hard work they put into bettering our program,” he said. “They are great people that our underclassmen can model their leadership after.”

Choi said that the Lakewood players adjusted well and improved throughout the season, despite working with a new coaching staff.

“My guys showed great perseverance when we faced some adverse stretches of games,” he said. “During those rough stretches, my boys were constantly reflecting on our performances, and figuring out areas which we could improve upon.”

Lakewood finished the season 3-11 in conference, and 6-14 overall.