Basketball teams ready for season

The fall sport season is over, and basketball season is just beginning.

Both boys and girls basketball teams are facing challenges for the upcoming season.

The boys varsity squad walked away from last season with a record of 24–4. The team won divisions last year and made it to the sectional South Jersey Group 4 championship semifinals, but lost to Atlantic City.

Five players recently graduated.

The challenge this year is trying to fill those spots, head coach Joe Murphy said.

“We have some holes to fill. Particularly the point guard position,” he said.

The team’s first scrimmage against Millville High School on Monday, Dec. 3, went well, but there is still a long way to go, Murphy said.

Losing in the semifinals to Atlantic City was the most difficult game last season, he said.

The 84–74 win over Paul VI (25–4) was the biggest game for Murphy last season.

“It was probably the biggest game victory wise,” he said.

Murphy said the team still has a few offensive improvements to work on. Besides finding players to fill the holes left by graduated players, the boys need to work on getting the ball inside on offense.

Girls varsity

The girls varsity basketball team finished the 2011–2012 season with a record of 14–13.

Out of the 13 losses, the most difficult was against South Jersey Group 4 champs Washington Township, 44–41.

“We lacked confidence in a couple of layups,” head coach Joe G. Murphy said.

He said the team lacks size and the team needs to work on boxing out to get rebounds.

He said most games the team lost were only by a few points.

Out rebounding the opponents is Murphy’s goal for the 2012–2013 season.

Willingboro was the one team that blew them out, beating Eastern, 63–34.

As for the players, Murphy said most of the girls go off to college playing another sport. The tallest player on the team is 5 feet 9 inches.

He said the girls are “very competitive.”

“They love to win, and they love to play,” he said.