March 12, 2024
By Giovanni Mule
Staff Writer
The boys basketball team ended its regular season on Feb. 15 with a 17-9 record. Winning all 10 games in its division, the team also earned the honor of being league champions, a title it last held in 2013.
Since they were undefeated in the league, the boys were able to host their first state playoff game on Feb. 21 against Caldwell High School, where they won 63-51.
Senior forward Charles Derrig, who has been on varsity since his sophomore year, said he was proud of the team’s first game in states and was happy to see his teammates step up.
“One thing I thought throughout the Caldwell game, and I’m pretty sure most of the boys did too, was that we were gonna play hard and play every play like our last,” Derrig said.
He said senior guard CJ Baillie, who joined varsity last year, was among the standout players in the game against Caldwell.
“With the season on the line, we just pulled through, especially [with] CJ Baillie knocking down huge shots,” Derrig said.
Junior forward Shawn Bellenger, who has been on varsity for two years, said he has seen significant growth in his and his teammates’ abilities since last year.
“My most improved aspect of my game is my shooting. This year, I [was] shooting way more threes compared to last year where I almost shot none,” Bellenger said.
He said the players were well-prepared for their game against Caldwell and their quarterfinal matchup away against Newark Arts High School on Feb. 26, which ended in a 41-94 loss.
“Something we [were] improving on before states [was] our rebounding and defense,” Bellenger said. “The more we play hard defense and the more we rebound, [it] allows us to give the other team the least amount of chances to get a score on us.”
Senior guard Matthew Slaby, who has been on varsity for three years and is committed to playing Division III basketball at Ramapo College in Mahwah, said his main improvement this season was staying calm under pressure.
“With the season on the line, we just pulled through, especially [with] CJ Baillie knocking down huge shots.”
Slaby said his favorite memory from the season was playing with his friends and teammates during senior night on Feb. 14, when LHS faced off at home against Elmwood Park High School.
“We grew up together, and I got to share the court with them for one of the last times,” Slaby said.
That game ended in an 81-42 win for the Golden Bears.
Slaby said he was happy with the team’s chemistry this season.
“I am proud we stuck together as a team, and we had no problems with each other,” Slaby said.
Senior guard Jake Mayer, who has been on varsity for three years, said even though he was satisfied with the outcome of the season, the team had the potential to accomplish even more.
“We [were] expected to go all the way and win it all,” Mayer said.
He said the players’ and fans’ expectations were high because the team brought back four starters–Baillie, senior Anthony Pizzuti, Slaby and himself–from last season.
Mayer said his favorite memories from the season were beating Rutherford High School both at home in a league game on Jan. 8 and away in the league championship on Jan. 29.
“I am proud of how good of a team we proved we are. We made a lot of noise in the community,” Mayer said. [I am] also very proud of winning our league championship, which Lyndhurst hasn’t done in a while.”
