Hopatcong Girls Basketball Trips [Video]

Though her team squandered an early lead en route to dropping its season opener, Hopatcong co-captain Nicole Jaronsky remained positive.

"We've improved a lot since last year," said Jaronsky, a senior point guard. "We're working together and we're listening to our coach for once."

The Chiefs fell to Butler 39-33 at home Friday night. Hopatcong started strong, entering the second half with a two-point lead before falling behind by as much as nine midway through the fourth quarter. And though Hopatcong rallied and cut the Bulldogs' lead to five with a minute left, it was too little, too late.

But co-captain Heather Yaros looked on the bright side. Last year, the Chiefs lost big to Butler. On Friday, Hopatcong stuck around the whole contest.

"We really want it this year," Yaros said. "This has been a huge improvement."

Pam Hon drilled a deep 3-three pointer for the Chiefs' first points of the season, giving Hopatcong a 3-0 lead two minutes into the game. And the Chiefs were up by as much as six in the second quarter until the Bulldogs cut the deficit with a pair of layups.

Hopatcong will take on Hackettstown on the road 7 p.m. Thursday.