Weather is dropping, which means sports have moved inside. After ending the last season with a record of  3-19, the boys basketball team got to practice in hopes to see more wins this year. The team lost six seniors, with most being varsity starters. This led to a new line up for the Bulldogs. They hoped to find the mistakes early in the season in order to take on whatever gets thrown their way. 

This year the team is led by coaches Jeff Griffith, Ron Kelm and Matthew Klenk. The team is also led by seniors Silas Mccullough, Nathan Dinardo, Austin Coll and junior Logan Bickerstaff. Although the team lost some key players, this year will be a fresh start. The boys started practice in early November to prepare for their season. The Bulldogs started with two scrimmages to prepare the new players for what a high school game feels like. 

“We’re a young team so we’re getting some more experience in varsity,” Head coach Griffith said. “Overall I think kids are working hard and I expect us to win some basketball games.”

After the scrimmages ended, the Bulldogs first game of the season started on Dec. 2. The Bulldogs traveled to the SS Tipp off, where they played South Side. Although the boys fought hard, South Side came out on top with a score of 74-38. Bickerstaff led the team with nine points.

 The following day, Dec. 3, the Boys basketball team head back to the SS Tip Off. The boys went up against Western Beaver on the court. The boys also faced them in a scrimmage earlier in the season. While keeping up, Western Beaver topped the bulldogs, winning 70-63. Many of the players earned points at this game. Bickerstaff led the team with 17 points,  Coll made 12, Dinardo kept up with 10 points and freshman Garret Drutarosky made 10 points. The boys headed back to practice before starting the regular season games on Dec. 6.

On Dec. 6, the Bulldogs hosted Chartiers Houston for the home opener. The student section came to support the team. The theme for the game was “White Out”. While the bulldogs fought hard all game long, Chartiers Houston topped the bulldogs 70-47. The boys were back in action on Dec. 8. They traveled to Hopewell to take on the Vikings, the boys lost, 50-35. 

On Dec. 9, Beaver hosted the Bulldogs, the boys fell short, losing 78-24. Coll and Dinardo both scored eight points.

“I think night in and night out, we’ve fought as hard as we could despite the outcome,” senior Nicholas Paganini said. 

The Bulldogs have more upcoming games on Dec. 12, 13 and 16. The Bulldogs hope to see some victories with the upcoming games and work more together as a team. The boys always keep their heads up, no matter the outcome.