For the second year in a row, the Hackettstown High School Boys’ basketball team escaped the frigid January weather of New Jersey for a trip south to sunny Florida. Landing in Tampa on Wednesday, the team embarked on a winter getaway which included activities ranging from two basketball games to a trip to Disney World. As soon as the team checked into the Alden Suites Beachfront Resort in St. Petersburg, the Tigers began their vacation with a trip to TopGolf, an outdoor driving range. After getting some drives in Thursday night, the boys took their fun to the hardwood on Thursday, defeating Canterbury High School of St. Petersburg, Florida, 68-55 behind fourteen three-pointers as well as fourteen points from Senior Kevin Magnotta. The Tigers continued their adventures on Friday, as after spending the morning on a fishing boat, they continued their winning ways in a 54-52 victory over Keswick Christian High School of St. Petersburg, with a last second tip-in by Junior P.J. O'Hara sealing the deal for the Tigers.

With their two impressive victories in the Sunshine State improving their win streak to five games and their record to 8-4, Hackettstown looked to celebrate their successes for the rest of the trip. On Saturday, the Tigers spent the day watching two South Florida sporting events live, having both field and court side seats to the East-West Shrine Game and a college basketball game between South Florida in Houston. Before heading back to the below-freezing temperatures of Northwest New Jersey on Monday, the Tigers concluded their trip with a day at the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World, where they tested their bravery on the infamous “Tower of Terror”. From walking on the white sandy beaches to the day spent at Disney World, the boys basketball team’s trip to Florida was one to remember. While the time these players spent with each other along the five day trip will certainly help the team’s chemistry on the court, the memories that head coach Mike McDonough and the basketball program created outside of the hardwood will last a lifetime.