The varsity boys basketball team worked hard all season for a spot in the playoffs. 

On February 6th, the Dalers confirmed their spot in the playoffs with their win over Freeport. The Dalers Basketball team, coached by Jim Pastier and Mike Schuerer, have been put through the test this year with challenging opponents in the 2023 season. 

The Conference AA team secured their spot in the playoffs February 6th with a 70-53 win against Freeport. The Dalers were able to pull off the win with KJ Anderson, a six-foot-seven junior, who dropped twenty points with fifteen rebounds. The team also had the support of Jake Mangio and eighth grader Ahmad Giles for a combined 29 points against the Freeport Red Devils. The team closed out the season with another 62-59 win against the Red Devils. 

The seniors of the team were also honored during their game before the playoffs against Farmingdale’s forever rival, Massapequa. Captains Chris Kosinski, Jack Wiser, and Brian Berge alongside seniors Anthony Ventiere, Jerry Tagliavia, and Nick Reynolds were given a warm goodbye. One of the captains who is committed to St. John’s, Brian Berge, said, “This year’s team is more like a brotherhood than a basketball team.” The St. John’s commit said that “there is never a dull moment with this group” and that the team is “full of hard-working individuals who give it their all every day.”  The team’s main goal this year is to win. Although the intense game resulted in a loss, the Dalers put up a fight when they tied up the game to go into overtime after being down by over 10 points in the first quarter. Chris Kosinski, a senior small forward, said that “over the past year between off season workouts, preseason games, practicing six days a week during the season and hard fought game day in and out” has built an unbreakable bond between the teammates. He described the Dalers basketball season as a rollercoaster that has led to a lot of growth. This team is ready to head into the playoffs with a strong, determined mentality. 

Although the Dalers lost their first Conference AA playoff game to Baldwin on February 18th, this team was driven by their will to win and they have been striving for that the whole season through their hard work. The boys created bonds that are inseparable and had an energy like no other.