Newton team’s hard work could bring victories on the court

Members of the Newton High School boys basketball team aren’t just talking about having a better record than last season. They are using a strong work ethic, teamwork, and a willingness to learn from mistakes and expand on their strengths on the court this winter.

The Braves are scheduled to host a tournament beginning Tuesday, Dec. 27.

Newton is scheduled to start 2023 with a home Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Freedom Division match-up against Hackettstown on Jan. 4.

“I would like to see us improve on our win total from last year,’’ head coach Paul Filan said. “We were 9-15 so I would love to see that record flipflop. We finished second in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division so I would like to see us win the Freedom Division title this season.’’

Among the returning student athletes are seniors Jake Benitz (guard and forward), Dom Lotruglio (guard), Robert McCullough (guard) and Dom Ferdenzi (guard and forward).

Newcomers looking to make their presence felt on the varsity level include senior Matt Williams (forward), senior Fabian Specht (forward), junior Cooper Armstrong (guard), junior Dom Celi (guard), junior Ryan Bezold (forward) and sophomore Max Maslowski (guard).

“My leaders are my returning senior varsity letter winners Jake Benitz, Dom Lotruglio, Robert McCullough and Dom Ferdenzi,’’ Filan said. “These young men are more leaders by example than vocal individuals. The work effort they put into games and practices and into the classroom are great examples for our younger players.’’

Newton tallied a 5-3 record in the NJAC Freedom Division last winter, placing second behind Jefferson.

The team advanced to the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 sectional tournament, where it was defeated by Wallkill Valley in February.

The Braves play in the NJAC Freedom Division along with Hopatcong, Hackettstown, Lenape Valley, Jefferson and Wallkill Valley.

“Jefferson and Hackettstown return two very good teams,’’ Filan said. “I see ourselves competing with those two teams if we can continue to improve on our game, execute our offense and mesh together as a team.

“We have a good mixture of experienced guys and inexperienced guys on varsity so coming together as a team is going to be very important.’’