Coming off two straight regional championships, the varsity boys’ basketball team knows the expectation this year is to win, and there is no doubt in the players minds that they will be able to do so.

The players are excited and determined to do whatever it takes to make it to states. “We got a lot of young talent that hopefully can help us not only three-peat regionals but make a run in the state playoffs,” senior Jack Sullivan said.

The roster has changed significantly but the team will continue to be a defense-focused team. Junior Chase Mitchell said that if the team has a great defense that limits scoring and forces turnovers, it would lead to an efficient offense. Without the size they had last year they are going to be centered around being a fast-paced team that plays around the perimeter. “We lost so much size from last year, we have to adjust to our strengths, which so happens to be speed and outside shooting ability,” Mitchell said.

Before the season started the team had workouts every week to help with conditioning. They played games together and spent time working to get a better understanding of what they needed to focus on during the season. “We were playing some tournaments in the fall to really see how we would be playing and just to get more chemistry as a group. We’ve been training and practicing together intensely to become better and ready for our season,” junior Nigel Gbeckie said.

Sullivan said that despite the loss of great players like Taj Smith and Jaiden Aze, who were seniors during the 2023/2024 season, they still have the same aspirations. “We all got the same goal as last year so nothing really has changed. As long as we stay together as a team we can go a long way,” Sullivan said.

It is Sullivan’s last season for the team and he is looking forward to making the most of it. The most important thing for him is to have fun. He also said that he wants to help his other senior teammates reach their goals and get to the next level in their basketball career. “I’m not playing in college so for my senior year I want to make as many memories as possible,” Sullivan said.

The team traveled to Magruder High School for the first game of the season. The Patriots kept it close going back and forth with Magruder but during the fourth quarter they became burnt out and lost the lead. They fell to Magruder 67-56.

The next game is today at home against Richard Montgomery.