The North Allegheny Basketball Association, easily the most popular recreational sports league for North Allegheny students grades 3 through 12, is halfway done for the season.

“NABA has always been something to look forward to and take my mind off of school and other stresses,” said Elliott Cohn, a senior who plays for Team 9 and rests at a current record of 2-6. “It’s hard to realize that I only have around eight or so games left.” 

The winter break concluded an eventful first half of the season. In the junior and senior league, Team 8 definitely had the roughest start of all the teams this year, tipping off the season to a one win, seven loss start. Although many would be demoralized, Team 8’s senior Logan Kushner, however, is holding his head high for the second half of the season.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating to be at this point, but the break has given us a fresh start,” Kushner said. “I don’t think our record is representative of us as a team. My teammates and I discussed that it is a new season and to forget our previous games. We have a 1-0 today mentality and take the season game by game.”

Team 5, on the other hand, was able to situate itself in the win column, kickstarting their season to a 5-3 start. Seniors Ben Truesdell and Tarun Kumar lead the scoring for Team 5.

“We are looking forward to the next half of the season,” Truesdell said. “I think that Connor Fadgen, Tarun Kumar and I have emerged as leaders of the team. When we perform better, the rest of our team steps up when we need them to. Overall, I think we have a genuine shot at going the distance.”

On the girls’ side of the league, students are placed into teams with a mixture of freshmen to seniors, compared to only juniors and seniors for the boys. This age disparity displays a skill gap that can be frustrating for underclassmen. Senior Julia Drazga expressed the importance of being a leader on a team with freshmen and sophomores. 

“I see the underclassmen get frustrated easily during games. I think that it’s necessary for me and the other upperclassmen to stay focused and encourage the younger players, which is something that I noticed when I was a freshman,” Drazga said.

Team 1 in the girls’ league sits at 4-2 at the break. 

Team 5 has a record of 3-3 at the break, led by Maddie Hartung.

“I believe that we have enough talent on our team to take us the distance. We just have to take it game by game and adjust where we need to,” the senior said.

For NASH students, boys and girls alike, NABA is a time to escape school stress and enjoy playing a sport with friends. Overall, the season is looking to be an interesting and unpredictable one, with any team that could come out on top.