Hollis/Brookline basketball shoots for return to postseason

The Hollis/Brookline High School boys basketball team is working together to get back into the playoffs.

After finishing last year 2-16 and failing to make the Division II tournament, the Cavaliers know they have to do things differently to avoid another lost season against a schedule that’s one of the toughest in the division.

“They are really, really together and that’s going to help us tremendously,” H/B coach Mike Soucy said. “The chemistry seems to be there and they appreciate each other. They work hard together and pull for one another, which is a big difference from what we’ve had the last couple of years. Everybody here is pretty much on the same page.”

And the Cavs need to be.

There are no scoring machines on the team, no one that will consistently go for 20 points each night. Instead, H/B is going to need production from every one of the 14 players on the varsity roster, and Soucy feels that if they can continue down the path they’ve already started, it can happen.

“For us to be successful, it has to be a true team effort,” the coach said. “We have to have balanced scoring, good team defense, good communication, good enthusiasm, and as long as we have that, I think we have a chance at being successful. This year, I’ve got 14 guys who could all get in there.”

Connor Walsh is the lone returning starter from a season ago, but the Cavs have five seniors who are also back, including Mike Chase, Connor Zingales, Russ Belden, Cam Staplefield and James Wilson.

H/B will get tested right from the start. The Cavs open the season at Coe-Brown on Friday before hosting Milford on Dec. 20 and then heading to Hanover on Dec. 22 before the break. H/B will once again take part in the Chick-fil-A Holiday Tournament, which will be at Nashua South this year, and the Cavs open the tournament against the hosts.

The schedule again includes two games each against Milford, Souhegan, Bedford and Pelham along with home games against Portsmouth, Oyster River and Goffstown and trips to Hanover and John Stark.

“It’s such a great division,” Soucy said. “It’s fun to coach in this league and you’ve got to bring it every night.

“We’re really together. They help one another. They get the team concept. The rest of it, we’re still learning. We’re still learning how to play offense productively. We’re still learning how to play team defense and how to communicate better. Some of the techniques that we’re teaching are different from what we’ve done in the past, so they’re learning those, too. They’re all together in this and that’s making it a lot easier to move forward.”