The Lakeland Regional High School boys basketball team have shown their resilience and dedication throughout the 2023-2024 season. Even with a slow start they would prove themselves by the season’s end.
The season didn’t initially start great for the team with them losing their first five games. Junior and forward Joe Zonis says that one of the major hurdles on the team was all the new players entering the team and other members stepping into new roles. “We couldn’t figure out a rhythm until around the middle of the season.”
After they found their footing, they started to improve, winning more and more of their games, first losing to Fair Lawn 67-45, before winning against Eastern Christian 72-52. This back and forth would continue, losing one game before winning the next, like when they lost to Clifton 60-32 before winning against Park Ridge 61-36. They would lose the next three games against Wayne Hills, Wayne Valley, and West Milford before winning against Passaic Valley 47-45 on senior night, and would end the season with a win against Sussex Tech 59-44.
That game, according to Zonis, was their best game of the season, saying, “Since we knew we weren’t making states and we were playing a very solid 16-8 Sussex Tech team, we just went out and had fun. We ended up winning 59-44 and everyone on the team had a good game. This really was a great way to end off our season.”
While the team has many improvements to make, senior Tyler Lynn suggests that “the most important improvement the team needs to make is practicing more in the off season.” Lynn also advised next year’s team that they should “play together and enjoy every game you play.”
No matter how the season went, the team showed their strength and resilience by giving their all and never giving up. Even after losing their first few games, they continued playing hard no matter what.
