The Pilgrim boys basketball team is off to a strong 2-1 start this winter season and is looking to make a run at the Division II playoffs.

The Pats were ravaged by injuries early and often last year, playing the majority of the regular season with multiple starters down with season-ending injuries as they missed the playoffs. Although the Pats were dealt a bad hand, it did open the door for a handful of youngsters to earn minutes and get their feet wet at the varsity level.

With many of those players returning, including the core trio of Dylan Vale, Carter Clifton and Cole Bigelli, Pilgrim is looking to take a step forward this year and reach the postseason.

“The other players and coaches in the division are probably thinking that we’re still a bottom third team, but I think we’re showing flashes of being able to play in the top half of the league. We like to feel like we can at least be competitive with just about any team in the division. Our goal is to peak at the right time. We want to have a playoff game and that’s a realistic goal with this group,” said Pilgrim coach Sean Henseler.

Vale has been leading the way as the team’s point guard. After earning All-Division honors last season, he figures to be the engine on offense for the Pats and has led them in scoring, including a 23-point showing in the season opener. Clifton returns after tearing his ACL late last season while Bigelli will be playing up front.

Pilgrim will be looking for some new faces to fill in the rest of the lineup and has been getting early contributions from Jack McConnell, Jack Cirelli, Jack Bannon and Jayden Ames. Another key piece to last year’s team was Ian Laplume, who is currently nursing an injury but is expected back in a few weeks.

“We’re still figuring out who we are. We have a lot of kids that have played quality minutes and we’ve got a lot of people with different skillsets. We’re trying to find what the right mix is moving forward and the kids have been putting in 110 percent. Cole Bigelli and Dylan Vale played a ton of minutes, so did Carter Clifton. The rest of them haven’t played many varsity minutes, so we’re trying to figure out who we are, who we can be. There’s a lot of potential there if we can put it together,” Henseler said.

The Pats will look to fulfill that potential by playing tough defense and turnover-free offense, according to Henseler.

“It’s going to be defense and decision making. We’re still trying to figure it out, we’re still making unforced turnovers, making poor decisions, threading the needle on passes that aren’t there. If we can pull it together defensively, limit our turnovers, take more shots, then I think we’ll be in just about every game we play this year,” Henseler said.