The Hamilton-Wenham boys’ and girls’ basketball teams faced their biggest rivals this Friday, December 15th. This is the boys’ season opener as well as a home game; as for the girls, they had already had two games before this one.

The girls had an exciting game, going into double overtime, ending in a 57-58 loss for the Generals, and the boys lost 47-42. Both teams held their own with these tough opponents and hope to turn the tide on January 26th when they play Manchester-Essex again.

The girls rely on senior captains Gaby Cambell, Leah Coffey, Junior Captain Sadie Gamber, and Junior Annie Moynihan to lead the way this year and hopefully have a deep run in the playoffs.

The girls’ team has been working on using their size to their advantage and going to the rim hard. Another thing the girls’ team wanted to work on after their first few scrimmages was their free throws, going  7/21 (33%). This has already started improving, with them going 14/21 (66.7%) in their most recent game against Manchester Essex on Friday, December 15.

The boys are leaning heavily on senior captain Chris Collins, Junior Captain A.B. Labell, and Sophomores Caden Shrock and Alex Menegoni.

The boys’ head coach, Mike Dimarino, has had the boys focus on three main things: limiting turnovers, rebounding, and executing their plays.

The boys are more focused on winning all 50/50 balls and making all the hustle plays they need to keep possession and slow the other team down. They are prioritizing making the hustle plays and giving it all they have over of making all the shots. Another way they can do that is by turning their defense into offense as a team.

Both teams feel confident they will end the year strong, with a chance to make a real run in the playoffs this year. The next game is Tuesday, December 19th, against Lynnfield, with the boys at home and the girls away.