Following a 76-40 loss to Pontiac Arts & Tech Academy in an MHSAA Division 3 state semifinal on Thursday, Miller was already looking forward to what could be next, even though he is graduating in a few months.

“They have carry it on next year,” Miller said of the Patriots’ underclassmen.

Judging by what returns, this Westwood team could be in great shape to do just that.

Of the seven players who saw at least 11 minutes of playing time during the semifinal, four are juniors.

Westwood players run onto the court and over to their bench in their first appearance in the state semifinal round of the MHSAA Division 3 boys basketball tournament since 2003 as they head across the Breslin Center floor in East Lansing on Thursday. (Keith Dunlap photo)

The first order of business for Patriots head coach Luke Gray was to pay tribute to the senior class of Miller, Reid Frustaglio, Preston Argall and Ben Salzwedel.

“They set the foundation,” Gray said. “It’s not just basketball. It was Saturday camps all the way down to our youth and the way they treat other kids in their school.

“The amount of school support we got here — filling two fan buses immediately — it’s exciting. A lot of goes back to who they are as people. When people look back at this in 10 years, 20 years or 30 years, they are going to remember these names.”

Reflecting on the season, Frustaglio said the Patriots seemed to constantly find way to have success.

“From the beginning of the season to here, we felt like we were the underdogs,” Frustaglio said. “We weren’t the biggest team or the fastest team, but I’m so proud of how this team developed throughout the years and this season.”

Looking ahead, though, the cupboard shouldn’t be bare at all next year for the Patriots.

The most notable returnee will be junior guard Ethan Marta, who was averaging 27 points a game and had made 50 shots from 3-point range going into the semifinals.

“We busted our tails every day in practice and we all loved each other,” Marta said. “That’s how we got here.”

Juniors Caden Balzarini and Aaron Pizziola are other starters who will be back, as are rotation players Louis Salmi and Jacob Ridl.

That group will help lead a program that advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 2003 and will look to get back or do even better in 2026.

It won’t be easy, especially with Iron Mountain, which Westwood beat 55-53 in the regionals, and other traditional Upper Peninsula stalwarts likely in the way.

But as much fun as the ride was this year for the Patriots and the community, the better news is that the future looks bright as well.

“We’re proud of the foundation we set,” Gray said.

Keith Dunlap of Lake Orion also writes for the Michigan High School Athletic Association and several media and social media websites, and is a past sports writer for the Oakland Press. He has written stories for The Mining Journal the past two high school basketball postseasons, when the Ishpeming High School girls basketball team won the MHSAA Division 4 championship in 2024 and when the Munising High School boys basketball team won their Division 4 title in 2023.