By Andy Loigu

Always doing their part to help worthy charitable causes, Coach Mike McDonagh and the Hackettstown boys basketball team are showing once again that you can be a nice guy and a winner in sports at the same time.

In the Hoops to Help showcase last weekend, Hackettstown won its second game in two outings to start the new season, getting the better of North Warren by a 64-46 final score.

Proceeds from five games involving ten area teams were distributed to Toys for Tots and for support to local families in need of assistance.

“Giving is the new getting,” McDonagh said in a recent interview on WRNJ radio. “We are thankful for what we have. The Hoops to Help event gets great support from the community and the athletic directors and their staff members. The town of Hackettstown is awesome with its support of the local teams. This is a great area in which to live and be involved in sports, the people really care.”

The Tigers lost three All Star players from last year to graduation and this year’s edition lacks height and experience, but as always, the Tigers will be scrappy and competitive.

First team All Northwest Jersey Conference Freedom Division star Shawn Morgan, second teamer Mike D’Aconti and honorable mention Sean Magnotta will be missed.

Divine McNeil, John Macaulay and Marquese Braxton will be relied on for senior leadership while juniors Andrew Moussignac, Jacob Mendez, Ethan Almeida, Andrew Carida and Darien Santos grow into their roles.

Thus far, it looks like the three-point shot is a major element in the Tigers’ arsenal, executing the drive and kick as a player penetrates the defense and then passes to an open shooter. Defense is also essential to playing winning basketball and the Tigers are known for how they apply suffocating man-to-man pressure.

A big game looming in the new year will see the Hackettstown Tigers hosting the Warren Hills Blue Streaks in one more meeting of Warren County’s local neighborhood rivals, scheduled for a 3 p.m. opening tip on January 16.

McDonagh also is a big booster of the Tigers’ girls team. “They’re going to be very good,” he said. “They’ve been building a great program with some outstanding coaches doing a great job of developing the team concept.”

Happy holidays and best wishes for a better than ever 2022. It would be a Blue Christmas without you. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.