January 22-23

The basketball team at JPM concluded its nonleague schedule over the weekend with a 63-60 loss to Central Dauphin East, the game was on Saturday night as part of a showcase event at Reading High School. The boys finished 0-8 against some of the better competition in the eastern half of the state, the average margin of defeat was just a tad over thirteen points. There are schools in our league who routinely play nonleague games against schools from other divisions within the league itself, JPM has always gone outside the league and outside the district itself. A loss is a loss no matter where it happens but the fact that our club held its own against the teams we played is encouraging for the future. On Tuesday night we were back in league play as we traveled to Millersville for a date with Penn Manor. The downbeat continued with another close loss, the final on this night was 53-50. This is the club's seventh loss in the division, they have come by a combined 48 points. We're three games deep into the second half and we're 1-1 against each opponent. The club's final four games are against opponents we lost to the first time around by a combined 23 points. Trying to put a positive spin on a 3-15 record might seem superficial but the fact is the team has for the most part been competitive and they have never backed down from any challenge. The boys climb back on the horse at home on Friday against Conestoga Valley. Take care, thanks for reading.