Boys basketball team sets new record for wins

The Vernon Township High School boys basketball team continues to establish a new school record with every victory it garners.

On Valentine’s Day, the Vikings tied the school record for wins in a season with 20 in a victory over West Milford, then set the new record two days later with a win over Newton.

Vernon then took the eraser to that with the 22nd victory of its 2022-23 campaign with a win over Veritas Christian on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 18.

The Vikings, now 22-3, were looking to continue its record-setting ways Tuesday evening, Feb. 21, when it was set to play host to Westwood in the opening round of the state tournament.

The previous record of 20 wins was set by the 1978-79 and 2006-07 squads. The mark is a pretty impressive feat for a program that won only 18 games combined in the previous two seasons.

“I think the key is the team chemistry,” said fourth-year head coach Connor Healy. “They really enjoy being together, not just on the court, but off it as well.”

The team has been led by sophomore guard Alex Fessel, who’s made 68 three-pointers and is averaging a team-leading 14.2 points; junior Ben Jurewicz (8.5 points per game); and seniors Ernest Mack (13.8 ppg), Jayden McCann (6.3 ppg) and Robert Nathan (5.6 ppg).

Despite the fact that Fessel is just a sophomore, he’s accumulated 560 points and 108 three-pointers for his career.

“Alex’s a true point guard and has been a phenomenal player for us,” said Healy. “He’s a great shooter and passer as well. He’s been an unbelievable player and is an even better person. He’s always striving to get better and wants to expand his game.”

After a 6-2 start to the season, Vernon reeled off 12 straight wins before dropping a 60-44 decision to Hackettstown in the semifinal round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament on Feb. 11.

Vernon then regrouped and went 4-0 last week, winning those games by an average of 17.8 points.

“You’re going to have some bad performances and losses along the way, but you can’t dwell on it,” said Healy. “We were upset by not playing our best against Hackettstown, but the best solution to that is just to learn from your mistakes and have that ‘next game’ and ‘next man up’ mentality.”

Vernon, which was a perfect 10-0 in winning the Colonial Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, has lost only to Hackettstown, Lodi and Mendham this season.

The Vikings were seeded fourth for the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 tournament and were scheduled to meet 13th-seeded Westwood in the opening round. A win there, and Vernon would play fifth-seeded Indian Hills or 12th-seeded Lakeland in the quarterfinal round Thursday, Feb. 23.

The sectional semifinal round was scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25 with the championship game slated for Tuesday, Feb. 28.

“We know that with our 22-3 record, opponents will have us circled at this point of the season,” the coach said. “We also know we can’t overlook anyone and being able to move on in the tournament is all the motivation we need.”

He also is very appreciative of the support his team has received this season.

“The attendance and overall support for us at our games has really left us speechless. It’s been great to see and it means the world to us.”