Following the loss of many seniors across both teams, the high school basketball teams worked to gain momentum from the remaining experienced players from last season. With head coaches McKenzie Morando for the boys and Ray LaCroix for the girls, both teams pushed towards and earned their spots in the county and state tournaments.
After a slow start, the boys had a hot streak, winning eight of ten games. Those games included a big win over rival Lakeland, as well as a win over Wayne Valley for the first time in six years. However, the team cooled down and lost eight of their last fourteen games. Their season eventually ended after falling 77-44 against number one seed Pascack Valley in round two of the state tournament.
Ognjen Ljusic led the team in scoring with 288 points, followed by Dean Deaver (229 points), and Tyler Ligouri (195 points). The team’s season ended with a with a record of 15-13 for the first winning season with Coach Morando, and the first since the 2018-2019 season.
The girls team started off with a 3-2 record, and ended their season with a record of 20-6. The girls also beat rival Lakeland, and their largest win came over Fort Lee by a score of 55-17.
The team also beat Leonia in the second round of the state tournament by a score of 60-37. This win gave the team their first 20 win season in 30 years.
The team’s points leader was Laurel Space (291 points), followed by Sarah Benowitz (217 points), and Adison Arciniega (213 points).
Unfortunately, the girls lost to Glen Rock 51-33 in the State Semifinal Round two days after their win over Leonia.
