As winter and the holidays arrive, so does the 2016-2017 girl’s basketball season. Despite last year’s record of 2-20, the team hopes to come out stronger this year. Although their current record is 0-2, with losses to both Phillipsburg and North Hunterdon, the team still has time to turn its season around.

Spots on the court have been filled by numerous newcomers after last year’s seniors graduated. This includes sophomore Alyssa Freda, who is both a good ball handler and shooter, and freshman Dani Pescatore, who is a solid player with great shooting abilities.

Although some key players have graduated, there are many returning to the program that hope to come back stronger this season. This includes senior Kristen Andreychak, who is an aggressive player and rebounder, and junior Olivia Buckman, who is a solid offensive player.

Regardless of whether they are newcomers or returning players, the entirety of the team hopes to have a great season.

“Some goals for the team this year is to build a foundation of hard work and commitment whilst also playing hard and being competitive in every game,” head coach Ian Progin said.

The toughest teams that will prevent the Raiders from accomplishing their goals are West Windsor Plainsboro North and Hunterdon Central, who are both currently undefeated.

The Raiders have both positive and negative qualities that will both help and hurt their gameplay. Some strengths of the team is that they all play hard and are able to apply both the offensive and defensive philosophies taught in practice to their game play. One weakness of the team is that they are, for the most part, inexperienced and young. In order to overcome this weakness, the team needs to learn and grow into their system of play and get more experience playing as a team.

Come support the girl’s basketball team at their next home game tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. against Immaculata.