By Justin Feil, Contributor
Erin and Olivia Buckman have been a part of the Hillsborough High School girls basketball program since they were freshmen, but they haven’t ever been this excited about a season.
The twins figure prominently in the Raiders plans to improve on last year’s two-win season. They didn’t need long in the preseason to see that things could be better this season.
“I’m already so excited,” said Olivia, the older of the two by six minutes. “You can tell from our first four scrimmages that we’re doing so much better. We’re moving more as a team. Last year, these games wouldn’t be as close. Our first scrimmage, we only lost by one point to a team that was No. 1 in their league.”
The tide started to change over the summer with new Head Coach Ian Progin organizing summer workouts. The girls responded well to the invitation, and their commitment together has helped to raise expectations.
“We collaborate a lot better,” Erin said. “We work a lot better together. We’ve been playing together since the beginning of July. On and off the court, we work together. We understand how each other play so we can work out better plays.”
Their first test comes 7 p.m. Friday when they open the season by hosting Phillipsburg, a team that twice beat them.
Hillsborough plays in the Skyland Conference, Raritan Division, and will compete for the division title with Immaculata, Montgomery, North Hunterdon, Ridge and Watchung Hills.
They will be crossing into the Delaware Division for the Phillipsburg game.
“I know they lost one of their main girls,” Olivia said. “I know they’re a pretty good team. They really stuck it to us last year. We’re hoping to come out better than last year.”
The Buckman twins, who are similar sized but otherwise don’t look alike, will be looking to help any way they can. They both play guard, with Olivia usually at shooting guard and Erin at off guard although she is a shooting guard as well. Last year, Olivia made 13 3-pointers in the 13 games that she scored in.
“I didn’t start, but I got a decent amount of playing time,” Olivia said. “I was ending games.”
Olivia has been starting in scrimmages and will be used more prominently this year. She’s seen changes in her game since the summer and returns a more capable scorer.
“Just already, my shot, I’ve been making a lot more,” Olivia said. “We’ve been working on that a lot. And I’ve been working on my drive. As a junior, have to be a leader out there. I’m using that to motivate me.”
Erin appeared in eight varsity games a year ago, and she is also looking to be a bigger part of the varsity.
Her offensive game has also matured.
“Last year, I was a varsity/JV swing so I got a lot of playing time on JV and a little on varsity,” Erin said. “I definitely improved from last year. It’s from how much we’ve been working on our game, and Coach Progin has been working with me on my shot and driving. I feel more confident driving or shooting.”
The sisters have each other to push each other. They can work out against each other whenever they want.
“Every once in a while we play one-on-one,” Olivia said. “Sometimes we’ll get out in the driveway and shoot around. We like to play tough with each other.”
Basketball is the one sport they share. In the spring, Olivia plays lacrosse for Hillsborough’s girls. Erin plays golf. In the fall, both worked at their other sports while also preparing for basketball with the team.
“It definitely started in the summer,” Olivia said. “We had a huge turnout for summer workouts. Everyone put 110 percent in. Me and Erin, who have been in this program since we were freshmen, we’ve seen it changed. Summer workouts, there weren’t that many girls the last couple years. It’s been a huge turnout. Everyone is working really hard.”
When the preseason began, the optimism only increased. A strong turnout gave the future a bright outlook with just enough of a mix of veteran players to lead the way.
“I think we have four seniors,” Erin said. “We had one come back. We’re a really big freshmen-based team. Coming into tryouts, there were more freshmen than seniors, juniors and sophomores combined.”
The new players have been introduced to the program with a brighter outlook, and the returning players are riding the experience they gained last year with the increased dedication over the offseason.
In scrimmages, Hillsborough has looked improved and its confidence has grown with every competitive game.
“We’re expecting to do a lot better,” Erin said. “Like Liv said, we’re not getting crushed by 20 points anymore. Easy baskets, we make. The more we work, the better we get. I think we’ll have a lot better season this year.”
The Raiders have improved their skills, which will pay off at the offensive end. They will be trying to keep teams off balance with a mix of defenses at the other end.
“Pretty much we have three kinds of set defenses,” Erin said. “Maybe we’ll start off in man, but next quarter we’ll go 2-3. We might start full courting. If they break it or not, we might lay off. If we throw different defenses at teams, that might throw them off.”
All that’s left is to see the improvements in action. Hillsborough will host its first three games of the season. Fans that miss the Raiders on Friday can come next Tuesday when they host a divisional game against North Hunterdon.
“I think we’re definitely ready,” Olivia said. “We’re excited for it. We’ve been putting in a lot of work and we’re ready for the real season to start.”
Added Erin: “We want to turn over this program because the last couple years haven’t been that good. We’re all doing well and we’re all excited.”
