by AJ Ortega and Tim Skeval
Jamesville-DeWitt/Christian Brothers Academy Varsity Hockey team and Jamesville-DeWitt Varsity Boys Basketball team have wrapped up their seasons. The hockey team’s season came to a close after a 3-1 loss to Cazenovia High School on Feb. 19 in the first round of sectionals. They ended the season with a 10-10-1 record. The basketball team ended its season on Feb. 19 with a 49-43 loss to Christian Brothers Academy in the semifinal round of sectionals, ending their season with a 15-8 record.
Dispite their early exit from sectionals, both teams felt they had successful seasons. The hockey team finished second overall in the Division II American league with a 7-5-1 record. Boys basketball finished third overall in the OHSL Freedom League with a 10-2 record.
The JD/CBA Hockey team had many ups and downs throughout the season. One highlight of the season was their big 6-1 victory over Rome Free Academy after coming off a 2-1 loss to Syracuse City School District the game before. Another highlight was when they beat Clinton 2-1 after losing to them 8-4 earlier in the season. “It was fun beating them after they beat us earlier,” said sophomore William O’ Malley. The hockey team had their struggles throughout the season, one was having to play the whole season without senior Sam Mueller. “It was harder without him,” said junior Connor Kinahan. On the other side, senior Jamie St. Amour believed playing without Muller was actually beneficial to the team. “(We) learned to play as a unit and distribute the puck better,” said St. Amour.
J-DHS’ Varsity Boys Basketball games seemed to be a favorite event for students, with many of attending the team’s home and away games. Though they didn’t make it as far as other years, there were definitely some things to remember. On Jan. 22 J-DHS faced off against rivals CBA, and many students and players remember one key play from the game: junior Darvin Lovette’s dunk. With J-DHS needing a bucket, Lovette came off a screen and took the ball. He crossed over twice, losing his defender, and then jumped for a monster dunk. Like any home crowd, J-DHS cheered as loud as it could. “My dunk gave us momentum,” said Lovette. J-DHS went on to beat CBA by a score of 66-62. However CBA got it’s revenge, ousting J-DHS in the first round of sectionals.
Next year the team under head coach Jeff Ike will be losing three seniors, captain forward and guard James Boeheim, guard Almighty Bornfreedom, and guard Rahmell Smith. These three seniors combined for 626 points this year. James Boeheim had 535 of those points, averaging 23.3 points a game through 23 games, while Smith had 75 points and Bornfreedom had 16 points. Don’t look for Boeheim or Smith in college ball though. “Instead of going to college next year, I’ll attend prep school for a year,” said James Boehiem. Smith will also be attending prep school. Returning to the team will be James’s younger brother Jack “Buddy” Boeheim who scored 329 points this season and averaged 14.3 points per game. He was the second leading scorer on the team after his brother James.