For the Northampton boys’ basketball team, it is a matter of comfortability.

“We returned all of our top six scorers from last season, so we’re comfortable with our core group and the experience they bring to the floor,” stressed Konkrete Kids’ head coach Matt Scholl. “The challenge right now is integrating a few newcomers into the rotation.”

The Kids won their first six games this season, recording victories over Easton (58-43), Dieruff (57-30), Bangor (51-45), Eastburg North (73-51), Liberty (63-45), and Eastburg South (60-36) before a loss to Parkland. They since rebounded to beat Stroudsburg (58-47) and Bethlehem Catholic (61-37). Yet, Scholl realizes it is a marathon and not a sprint.

“Through [out early] games we haven’t played our best basketball,” reflected Scholl after three games. “We’ve been inconsistent offensively and haven’t shot it as well as we’re capable of. The positive is that it’s early, and we’re confident that will come together as the group settles in.

“Defensively, we’ve had strong stretches, but our next step is learning how to handle adversity better. We can’t allow our defensive effort to dip when we hit offensive lulls, and we can’t rush on offense if we give up a few baskets. Maintaining composure in those moments will define us.”

Scholl has been impressed with the recent play of Marcus Ramos and Jake Raysely.

“Marcus has been a spark for us but he suffered a minor knee injury in the Dieruff game and sat out against Bangor,” stated Scholl. “We’re hopeful to have him back this week.

“One real bright spot has been the play of Jake Raysely. He’s impacting the game on both ends at a very high level and has been our most consistent guy so far.”

Aside from Ramos and Raysely, Scholl knows he can rely on his seasoned returning core to make a run.

“We also have a lot of confidence in players like Leo Regec, Noah Walakovits, Korbin Sollars, Brady Simock, and Ethan Raphun, who all proved themselves last season and continue to give us valuable minutes,” he said. “We haven’t played our best yet,” he added after the teams first three games. ”We believe this group will continue to improve as the season progresses. The pieces are there — now it’s about putting everything together the right way.”