The winter break has come and gone for NPHS students, but for many athletes, the games haven’t stopped. Here’s an extra long recap of the final results before the change of the year.

Boys Basketball

Continuing the tradition of participating in the annual Chatham Christmas Tournament, the boys basketball team had plenty of action over the break. First, the team fell to Millburn on Dec 23. The team went cold in the second half, as an 11 point halftime lead evaporated. Senior James Pazdera hit five threes, but it wasn’t enough as NP lost 54-46. The team then had three games in the Cougar Classic. The Pioneers dropped the opener to a hosting Chatham squad, before senior Nick Bisaccia dropped 29 points to lead NP to a bounce back win over Madison. The squad finished out the calendar year with a 61-50 loss against Cranford. The tough stretch of games gets no easier for the team, who travels to Oratory Prep on Jan 4.

Girls Basketball

The girls team participated in two highly coveted showcases over the holiday break. Starting after the Christmas holiday, the top 20 ranked squad began to prove themselves in the West Orange Holiday Tournament. It began with a dominating 65-13 victory over Lincoln, behind a well balanced scoring attack for NP. The following game was a top 20 showdown against host school West Orange, and the Pioneers dominated the second half to blow out the Mountaineers. A 34-9 run in the second half resulted in a resume building victory over 20th ranked West Orange. The Pioneers finished out the tournament with a resounding 52-29 victory over Holmdel. The New Year came, and the girls basketball squad continued their momentum, participating in the North vs South showcase at Spotswood. The team, despite some key players, and coaches being out, used a 10-0 first quarter run to set the tone against another top 20 squad in Hudson Catholic. NP would hold on for a 47-33 victory, and can expect a jump in the rankings after picking up their second top 20 win over the break. The girls next host Summit on Jan 4.

Boys and Girls Swimming

The swim squad was one of the few teams to get the break off competition wise. That didn’t stop the team from practicing in preparation for their huge meet coming up against GL on Jan 6. The team will look to use the fresh legs to lead themselves to their first win of the year against their rivals, no less.

Indoor Track

The Indoor Track team began their winter slate of meets, and they did so in festive fashion, participating in the Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival. The trip to Staten Island was worthwhile for the team, providing the chance to compete against some of the best public and private schools from both New Jersey and New York. The high level of competition resulted in no hardware for the squad, but the team can use the experience against elite teams to take into their regular season. The relay teams have their Union county championships coming up on Jan 8.

Wrestling 

The wrestling team hosted their own holiday tournament with a quad meet. The results were positive for the squad, but they await their first regular season matchup, which is coming up this week, with an away tilt against Plainfield on Jan 5. Followed by a “Fantastic Friday” bill with GL on Jan 7.

Hockey (Co-Op with GL)

The GL/NP hockey team faced some unnatural adversity over the break. Back to back game cancellations saw the team spend over 2 weeks away from competition. The squad was welcomed back with an outdoor game against Summit. The second annual George Bell Classic gave the squad a chance to play at Beacon Hill’s outdoor rink, an experience that’s rare for high school hockey. The squad was unable to shake off the rust, as Summit used two early goals to ride to a 5-2 victory. The team now sees games come thick and fast as the run of contests begins on Jan 5. against West Essex.