As a senior guard on Northampton’s basketball team this winter, J.J. Kolumber didn’t like the finish, but he enjoyed his ride.

The Konkrete Kids season ended in an opening -round district Class 6A loss to Stroudsburg, and they finished the year with an overall 14-10 record.

“Overall, it was an amazing journey,” gushed Kolumber, the Kids leading scorer at 11.5 per game. “We exceeded the expectations from others before the season, but we matched ours.

“Our goal was to make it into the EPC (East Penn Conference) tournament and we did that. And we came up a little short in the district game. But the chemistry was great and I’m definitely going to miss these guys.

“It was a family atmosphere.”

Head coach Matt Scholl, who finished his second season, certainly will miss Kolumber’s floor presence, as he shot 81.6% from the foul line for his career.

“He was a confident ball-handler and excellent rebounder for his size,” noted Scholl. “J.J. was our leading scorer during the season. He was never the fastest or quickest player, but he embraced the weightroom and excelled by utilizing a high basketball IQ and a thorough understanding of the playbook.”

Scholl credited the Kids’ seven seniors beginning with Kolumber, Brody Graff, Tristen Pinnock, Justin Edwards, Mason Haupt, Shakim Dunbar, and Trent Moyer.

For Scholl and his troops, it wasn’t a matter of size, but instead it was a matter of grit and determination. Sophomores Noah Walakovits, who averaged 8.9 points per game and Brady Simock (5.5) will help lead the charge for the 2024-25 campaign.

“Despite being undersized in almost every game, we were able to rely on our defense and 3-point shooting to get to 14 wins,” added Scholl. “Our seniors, JJ Kolumber, Brody Graff, Tristen Pinnock, Justin Edwards, Mason Haupt, Shakim Dunbar, and Trent Moyer, helped to set our expectations in the weight room during the offseason and that incredible work ethic carried over to the season. Effort was never an issue for this team. We have big shoes to fill in the offseason after graduating seven seniors.”