The basketball season was full of highs and lows for the Tiger boys team in 2022-23. Between graduations and several players electing not to return to the team, the roster was a much younger version than it figured to be.

With young players came some measure of inconsistency. After three losses to open the year, the Tigers put together three straight wins. From there, much of the schedule alternated between a win here and a loss there. When the regular season ended, the team was 9-8 in the Colonial League and missed the league playoffs. A win in their regular season finale against Catasauqua got them to 11-11 overall and earned a spot in the District 11 playoffs.

The team had just one senior player on the roster in Cayden Fitch. He averaged 11.3 points per game and was a leader on the court. Against Kutztown, Fitch set a career-high in points when he scored 23 and in a loss to Allentown Central Catholic in districts, Fitch finished his career with an 18-point performance, but the team fell 76-47 to end their season.

“There are some really talented young players on this team,” said Fitch after the final game of the season. “I think they will do pretty well in the future and keep getting better. We couldn’t get any real consistency this year and it was tough at times, but we always played hard.”

After averaging 5.8 points per game as a freshman in the 2021-22 season, Gavin Nelson led the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game this past season.

Nelson and Fitch put on a shooting clinic against Kutztown with the sophomore matching the senior’s 23 points. Nelson also dropped 23 points against Wilson just nine days after the rout of Kutztown.

Freshman Mason Bollinger developed into more of a scoring option as the season went on and finished with 6.1 points per game, including scoring 15 against Saucon Valley. Eli Zimmerman continued his strong defense as a sophomore and is quickly becoming a three-point shooting threat, hitting 21 three-pointers, and finishing with a 4.7 points per game average.

Second-year head coach Cory Cesare left the program after the season, meaning yet another coaching change for the program. Billy Hallman coached the team for six seasons, but left after the 2019-2020 season, turning the key on the coaching carousel. Jerry Lloyd coached one year before leaving over a dispute requiring coaches and players to wear masks during games. Cesare took over and went 22-23 in his two seasons.

“It was tough to really get a grasp on things with three different coaches,” said Fitch before the school announcing Cesare’s departure. “When things keep changing it can be tough to get into a real routine and know the system and know what to expect.”

The team has been treading water the past few seasons, finishing around the .500 mark. With several good young players and a freshman team coming off a strong season, there are signs that things could turn a corner and the possibility is there for the program to have better times ahead.