Before he took over as head coach of the boys basketball team, Billy Hallman was a part of the Northwestern girls basketball program, which has experienced a lot of success over the years.

Now Hallman wants to wage a friendly competition with his former boss, Chris Deutsch, and the girls team.

“My goal is to play further than the girls team next year,” Hallman said with a smile. “I got a little competition going with [girls head coach Chris Deutsch] and I hope he is ready because we are coming.”

After finishing the season with an 8-14 record overall and a 6-12 ledger in the Colonial League, the Northwestern boys basketball team did not reach its goal of qualifying for the District 11 playoffs. However, it is closer than it has been in this turnaround of reaching the postseason.

“They have a high ceiling,” senior Ryan Hippensteel said. “I want to see them break through that ceiling. Next year is their year where they have to prove something and they’ll be able to build off of it.”

The Tigers are losing five seniors, Hippensteel, Trevor Cunningham, Rob Seyfried, Jacob Ruch and Matthew Freeman. The outgoing seniors accounted for 48 percent of Northwestern’s scoring this season.

Seyfried averaged a team-high 13.9 points per game. Cunningham was third on the team at 8.4 points.

Three starters are returning for next year including sophomore Sam Yadush, and freshmen Luke Hallman and Deven Bollinger. That trio accounted for 27 percent of the team’s scoring this past season with Yadush leading the way at 13 points per game, which was second on the team. Bollinger was third on the team with 5.8 ppg and Hallman scored 4.6 ppg.

“We want to build off tonight,” Yadush said after the team’s season-ending dramatic win over Catasauqua. “We won and we don’t want to lose again. We are going to go into every game next year hungry and ready to win.”

With two open spots in the starting lineup and other larger roles needed to be filled, Hallman will be looking at a young nucleus within the program.

“Today is the first day of next season because of the seniors,” Hallman said. “They showed the younger guys how to go out and win every game. We have some pieces. We got some young guys some [playing] time this year: Sam, Luke and Deven as well as Sam Seyfried. We also have some guys on JV that are ready to step up.”

While the season is still going for teams who are playing in the postseason, where Hallman plans to be one day, he is starting to lay the foundation now.

“We are going to be ready to go,” he said. “I’m ready to go tomorrow, but we will take a little break, get together, and set some expectations.”