Returning for another season, the boys and girls basketball teams are starting to get ready for the upcoming 2022-2023 season. Over the summer and into the fall, both teams have had conditioning practices, as well as open gyms. With both teams losing some key senior starters and acquiring new faces, they look forward to a good season this year. 

Last season, the girls team went on to have an impressive regular season record of 16-4, placing third overall in their section. The team was led by Head Coach John Kaercher, with assistant coaches John Barlamas and Sydney Kaercher. The team advanced to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) championship, where they faced off against the North Catholic Trojans. While they suffered a loss by a score of 47-43, the team still qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) playoffs. 

They won all of their games in the PIAA playoffs up to the championship game, which was held at Giant Center in Hershey, where they faced off against the Neuman Goretti Saints. In an action-packed high scoring game, the Bulldogs ended up coming up short, losing by a score of 55-49. Even though they suffered a loss, it was a historic season for the girls basketball program, finishing as PIAA Class 3A runner-up. Moving into the next season, the team lost a total of five seniors, most of which were starters.

For the boys team, last season’s record ended up at 3-19. Their season was hard fought, with losing some close games. The team also lost five starting seniors from last season. One notable win from the previous season was when the boys faced off against their long-time rival New Brighton Lions on Feb. 11. The Bulldogs ended up winning the high-scoring game with a score of 92-72, where alumni Carter Huggins led the team with 32 points. Huggins led the team in total points for that season. Another big win for the team occurred on Dec. 17, when the Bulldogs dominated the court against the Mohawk Warriors, ending the game with a final score of 69-41. While the team only won a few games, they have been learning from their mistakes and improving on them. 

Both teams look forward to starting a fresh season this year. After the girls team having a historic season, they look to live back up to their high expectations once again. 

“I look forward to bonding with the team this season, and the bus rides home after away games are also always really fun,” senior Nicholas Paganini said.