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01/21/2024 04:14 PMAs the North Branford boys’ basketball team enters the back half of its regular season campaign, the Thunderbirds are ready to utilize lessons learned from early losses with their mental and physical fortitude, and craft tools of triumphs to punch tournament tickets.
The Thunderbirds have returned to the court after a 5-15 mark for their 2022-2023 campaign, missing both the Shoreline Conference and state tournaments in the process. Thus far for this season, North Branford holds a record of 1-8, with its lone win coming by a 63-61 home decision over Hale Ray on Dec. 28. Head Coach John Donohue expressed that no matter what the standings currently show, his group is committed to immersing itself in the art of daily improvement.
“On the court, our goals are to continue to get better each day to qualify for the state playoffs,” said Donohue. “Off the court, our goals are to continue to grow and gel as a program.”
The T-Birds are led on the floor by a quintet of senior captains all around the perimeter. In the back court are a tandem of guards with CJ Cameron and Victor Castillo. Up front at the forward positions reside Braden Burns and Jack O’Brien. Lastly, Jake Johns doubles as a guard and additionally a forward.
“CJ Cameron is a passionate and hard worker, who is also vocal. Victor Castillo brings a calming presence to the team,” said Donohue. “Braden Burns is a vocally hard worker who is very passionate. Jack O’Brien is someone who leads by example, and Jake Johns sets a strong example for the rest of the team.”
Adding to the senior class depth at guard for North Branford is PJ Ramada. Three junior backcourt standouts include Raul Cepeda, Archie Yu, and Jack Monde. Each of them bring not only a great and unique level of athletic skill sets, but also a cerebral component to the court.
“PJ Ramada is a hard worker with strong basketball knowledge,” Donohue said. “Raul Cepeda is extremely quick on the court and works hard. Archie Yu has a high basketball IQ, and has clever ball-handling skills. Jack Monde is a versatile player, who is also a vocal leader and is hard-working.”
Jason Cosgrove rounds out the upperclassmen contributors as a junior forward, who is never afraid to pout in the minutes and grind hard on the floor. Charlie O’Brien and Justin Carusone are a duo of sophomore guards who certainly showcase their diligence.
“Charlie O’Brien is very versatile, extremely competitive, and he is a hard worker,” said Donohue. “Justin Carusone also has a high basketball IQ, plus he is hard-working and shows versatility. Jason Cosgrove is a strong leader, he plays extremely hard, and he does the dirty work.”
When looking at the remaining regular season slate, no one singular matchup jumps off the page into Donohue’s eyes. That is because he and the T-Birds see each game as simply a grand opportunity for them to grow and rise towards enhancing postseason aspirations.
“All of our remaining games are key as we look to continue to grow and improve in our league and in our state playoff class,” said Donohue.
No matter the outcome of each game, or even the season as an entire entity, the boys certainly know they will certainly leave it all out there. Donohue detailed that the team is taking in one objective at a time, particularly with the target of attaching that clutch trait to prevail in white-knuckle moments late in the fourth quarter.
“Our players play extremely hard,” Donohue said. “We are looking for us to take the next step to close out games, and qualify for the state playoffs.”
The 2023-2024 North Branford boys’ basketball team roster is comprised of seniors Castillo, Cameron, Johns, Burns, Jack O’Brien; juniors Yu, Cosgrove, Cepeda, Joshua Algarin, Willie Franco, Monde, Aidan Fortier; sophomores Christopher Piercey, Mark Borzillo, Carusone, Jayden Horsford, Cameron Lacroix, Isaiah Franco, Charles O’Brien, Benicio Iamunno, Luca Intravia, Caden Foley; plus freshmen Aiden Biehler, Landen Burns, Jonathan Cinquegrana, Jacob Ercolani, William Ianniello, Jonathan Jacobs, Tyler Meizies, Craig Miller, Justin Montero, Luciano Pearson, Justin Ruiz, and Dylan Yarnall.
Donohue is back for his third season as the head coach of North Branford. Also in their third campaigns with the program are JV Coach Chris Piercey, and Freshmen Coach Tom Donohue.
2023-2024 North Branford Boys’ Basketball Team Regular Season Results and Schedule
Dec. 15: Valley Regional 69, North Branford 55
Dec. 16: Coginchaug 70, North Branford 64
Dec. 19: Cromwell 90, North Branford 54
Dec. 22: Haddam-Killingworth 67, North Branford 46
Dec. 28: North Branford 63, Hale-Ray 61
Jan. 2: Morgan 86, North Branford 38
Jan. 5: East Hampton 60, North Branford 54
Jan. 12: Hale-Ray 59, North Branford 46
Jan. 19: Coginchaug 54, North Branford 44
Tuesday, Jan. 23: vs. Portland at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 25: at Old Lyme at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 27: vs. Westbrook at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 30: vs. Valley Regional at 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 2: vs. Cromwell at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 6: at Haddam-Killingworth at 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 9: vs. Morgan at 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 12: at East Hampton at 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 16: at Wright Tech at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 20: vs. Wilcox Tech at 7:30 p.m.