The boys’ basketball season recently came to an end. The Warriors finished 6-19 overall and placed seventh in the PIL. They started the season relatively well, entering PIL play with an even 4-4 record. However, once league play began, the team ran into tough competition. 

“We were hit with a lot of sicknesses. I think we only had five practices with the whole team,” said junior Jack Vella.

“I think at the beginning of league play shots weren’t falling so we lost a lot of momentum offensively and it got in our heads and we let it affect our game, and as a team I would say morale dipped, along with playing some really tough teams like Grant, which is one of the best teams in the state,” said junior Oliver Comerford.

Those challenges resulted in a 2-14 overall record for the Warriors in league play, with wins coming at McDaniel on Jan. 9 and at Franklin on Feb. 24.

That game against Franklin was a stand out performance for the team. Both Comerford and Vella answered that it was their favorite game all season, especially with the raucous celebration in the locker room. 

“We hadn’t got a win in a long time and it was really good to see for the seniors because it was the last week of the season,” Vella said. 

Despite the record, there was clear improvement across the team. 

“I think we really improved taking care of the ball and not having turnovers. At the beginning of the season we struggled and gave up the ball a lot, but as the season went on we got better at that which also helped our defense,”  Comerford said.

Senior center Andrew Haas came away with a PIL honorable mention award. This was well deserved as he collected over 15 double-doubles throughout the season.

Comerford and Vella made an extra effort to emphasize that despite the wins and losses not meeting expectations, it was a fun season and both have a lot of hope for the future of the program, including a top three finish in league and a return to the state playoffs.