Bishop Seabury Academy sophomore Thomas DiZerega spins off a pivot point as he and his teammates work on dribbling drills during Seabury's basketball camp, Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the school.

Bishop Seabury Academy boys basketball players haven’t forgotten their season-ending loss in the sub-state semifinals to Jackson Heights last year.

In the final seconds, Jackson Heights made a layup to hand the Seahawks a 61-60 loss before eventually earning a spot in the Class 2A state tournament.

The sting of defeat hasn’t worn off and it’s sparked the Seahawks during their summer team camp and workouts.

“I told Mikey (Wycoff) this after the last game last year, ‘We keep saying next year. But one day there’s not going to be a next year,'” senior Thomas Uhler said. “For me, that’s this year. So we’ve got to do it. We’ve got to push through.

“I’m down to my last chance now and I’m down to my last time to make an impact on this school and the Lawrence community. I see Free State win the baseball state (title) and I want to bring something like that to Seabury.”

The Seahawks return most of their varsity rotation from last season, including their junior point guard Wycoff, who averaged 22.4 points per game when healthy, and sophomore guard Zach McDermott, who averaged 15.2 points. Sophomore Bansi King also added 10 points per game.

The 6-foot-3 Uhler serves as their main post presence, while juniors Max Easter and Austin Gaumer, and sophomore Thomas DiZerega are primed to step into bigger roles.

“This is the first time in my career here at Seabury that I’ve known what we’re going to have coming back,” Seabury coach Ashley Battles said. “It’s really nice. Now it’s just all about learning roles and teaching guys to do what it takes to win a ballgame for the team.”

With all of that talent returning from last year’s 13-8 squad, expectations are high for the Seahawks, who hope to earn a spot at state for the first time since 2012.

“Without a doubt, we feel like we should be the favorites to win (state),” Battles said. “If we put in just a little bit of work this summer, I think it’s going to happen for us. We kind of play like Lawrence High played last year. They were small with a couple raw bigs, and that’s kind of what we are.”

The Seahawks will play in the KAMO tournament in Kansas City over the next three days, playing against bigger schools from across Kansas and Missouri.

“I’m excited,” McDermott said. “I feel like we’ve all been working out hard so it’s kind of nice to get a flow going together.”

Uhler participated in workouts for the first time on Tuesday after sitting out the last seven weeks with a head injury, which he suffered when he was hit in the head with a golf ball. Though he will likely be limited in minutes this weekend, he’s focused on becoming a strong senior leader for the younger guards.

“I’ve learned from great leaders,” Uhler said. “Marcus Allen is one of my favorite guys I’ve played with ever. He was a senior when I was a sophomore and he’s one of the guys I really admire. I work to be like him every day and I want to show that to somebody else. I want them to work to be like me.”

The Seahawks know they have a lot of potential for next season, and they are ready to avenge that one-point loss at the end of last year.

“That’s always in my head when I’m working and I think it’s the same with them,” McDermott said, pointing to his teammates. “It’s just one point could have carried us to that state championship, so it’s definitely a motivator.”