Justin Fischetti
Staff Writer
On the night of Jan. 10, 2018, the NHS Varsity Boys Basketball team found itself in a close battle with Holy Ghost Prep. With the team down a point in the final seconds, starting point guard Kevin Dougherty would not let the chance for a signature win getaway. With the game on his hands, he quickly drove to the hoop where he absorbed contact by Holy Ghost players and made the tough, but clutch bucket to give New Hope a one point lead with three seconds left. He would calmly sink the susquent ‘and one’ free throw to extend the lead to two. Holy Ghost had one more chance to win it, but missed a 3 at a buzzer, sending the New Hope crowd at Solebury School into celebration with a 48-46 win.
Despite the high school gym renovations getting in the way, the NHS Varsity Boys Basketball team is in the midst of a great season, with the Holy Ghost win the highlight moment of the season thus far. Although they started the season with three straight losses to Upper Moreland, Upper Perkiomen, and Church Farm, they have responded from the slow start by winning nine of their thirteen games since, and now have a 9-7 record with six regular season games remaining as of Jan. 26. Teams New Hope has beaten over this stretch include Calvary Christian Academy, Delaware County Christian, South Hunterdon, the aforementioned Holy Ghost Prep win, and a surprisingly dominant 19-point win over a Christopher Dock team that had an 11-1 record heading into the game.
After a Jan. 27 game against William Tennent, the remainder of the regular season will pit New Hope against rival teams that it had already played earlier in the season, including Valley Forge Military Academy and Lower Moreland. New Hope is already in good position for making the playoffs, but will need to come up with some huge wins in these final weeks of the regular season against those rival teams to solidify their playoff seeding and have a home playoff game.
New Hope is led in scoring by point guard Kevin Dougherty with 13.9 PPG (points per game), and power forward Nick Garritano is not far behind with 12.7 PPG. Garritano also leads the team in rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game. Center Topher Taylor also contributes with 9.3 PPG and 6.3 rebounds per game, and he also succeeds on the defensive end with 2.9 blocks per game. Also on the defensive side, small forward Morgan Shadle contributes with his lockdown defense and hustle. Rounding out the starting lineup is shooting guard Connor Wallace. The Lions also receive a spark off the bench from small forward Patrick Cooney, shooting guard Reese Sterling, small forward Frank Spadavecchia, and center Caleb Shiel.
The overall success from the team comes despite the issues the high school gym renovations are causing. Due to the high school gym being unavailable due to the renovations, and the middle school gym not being suitable enough to host a home game, New Hope must play its home games at the nearby Solebury School gym instead. Despite this, many New Hope students make it to the games regardless and continue to provide a home-like atmosphere for the team with their support. However, in the middle of February the high school gym renovations will have progressed far enough to allow it to support a home game. If New Hope can finish the season strong and earn a home playoff game, then the high school gym will be available in time to allow the first ever NHS Varsity Boys Basketball game at the newly-renovated gym to be playoff game in mid-February.
