Girls Basketball finished their 2023-24 season in the first round of the North 2, Group 4 NJSIAA tournament with an extremely tight 58-55 loss against Elizabeth. Despite this unfortunate way to end a season, it displayed the rigor and perseverance the team displayed throughout. They never gave up.
Coming into the season, senior captain Erin Doherty knew that “we had to rebuild a little just because of how much we lost from last year with that great senior class.” The girls lost five seniors and only had three this season. Despite the majority of the team being underclassmen, “I think a lot of our underclassmen were able to step into big roles and perform on the court.” Doherty was not wrong. Sophomore Sophie Lane was the leading point scorer this season, scoring a total of 250 points.
“It’s very difficult to start off 3-10 and to stay invested and to want to get better and to believe in your teammates,” said head coach Liz Mckeon. However, the team challenged the odds and came out on the other side better for it. “Every single one of these kids did, and our record doesn’t really show how much growth and the jumps and strides that they made,” she added.
Later in the season, the girls had a four-game win streak, securing them a place in the Union County tournament. Their win against ALJ was short-lived as they sadly lost in their quarterfinal round against New Providence, 36-22.
Although there were only three seniors, Doherty, Makenna Reed and Sara Rooney, they were extremely valuable to the team’s dynamic. “We would not have been able to make the jumps and strides that we’ve made this year without their leadership and their positive reinforcement. All three lead in different ways,” said McKeon.
Though the team’s final record of 10-16 could have been higher, the girls will continue to improve throughout the next few seasons. “I think it will only keep getting better every year because a lot of other teams in the county are losing a lot and we’re just going to keep building off the great freshmen and sophomores we had this season,” said Doherty. Since a majority of the team will be returning next season, Mckeon said, “Now we can just jump right into things and look to see how we can progress and really be a competitor, not only in our conference, in the county, but also in our section.”
McKeon reflected on this season saying, “[The team] really could have quit and they didn’t, they made it enjoyable. I wanted to go to practice every day and never wished for the season to be over. The only thing I wish was that we had one more day to practice at the end.”
