The VHS boys’ basketball team was proud of what it accomplished this year despite a close loss in its season-ending home state playoff game versus Becton. The game ended with an upsettingly close score of 48-46, after the boys had led most of the way. Although the season ended on a sad note, the boys had a solid season, finishing with a .500 record before the Becton loss.

Becton put up a very tough fight against Verona the entire game, but VHS took a solid lead into the fourth quarter, only to watch things become very nerve-wracking. In that last quarter, Becton outscored Verona 17-8, to go ahead 48 to 46. Verona had a final possession chance to tie but was unable to do so.

“We were definitely disappointed with how the state game ended against Becton, but in the regular season we played well. The games that were lost were extremely close and could have gone either way,” explained senior Ethan Garsman. This year, the Hillbillies were put into a different conference than previous years. They played harder teams but were still able to keep the games close and opponents on their toes. Of the change in opponents, Coach McElroy said “Considering the schools we played the boys did very well. We won the Holiday Tournament and a few games in the Essex County Tournament.”

“The new conference was tough but we did pretty well. Only one senior, Ethan Garsman, is leaving so we have all of our players returning. I’m excited to see how we do next year,” said junior captain Matt Braschi. With most of the players coming back for the season next year, the boys have the opportunity to work together off season as a team in order to conquer the tough bracket next year.