Spartans look to settle scores on hardwood

The Holy Spirit Spartans basketball team has been living in one big shadow during the past few years.

They've watched their rival Atlantic City go on to win consecutive state championships, including a thrilling postseason run that also ended Holy Spirit's season last year.

But as the calendar gets ready to turn over to 2014, there's optimism in Absecon. With the anticipated absence of Viking graduates Dayshawn Reynolds and Jahleem Montague, some are looking at the Spartans to emerge as a team to steal some of Atlantic City's thunder.

We invited members of the Holy Spirit basketball team into our Admiral Nissan Studios, just hours before their Saturday afternoon game, to talk about their ongoing rivalry with a team that's owned South Jersey in the past few years.

Holy Spirit Spartans basketball team

Here’s a preview of some of the other interviews from this week’s edition of the South Jersey Sports Report:

• They've now won five straight state championships, and it's the 23rd overall for one of the best coaches to ever grace a South Jersey football field. It wasn't surprising that the St. Joseph Wildcats were the last C.A.L. team standing, but the fact that they did it all with mostly sophomores and juniors this year could be terrifying for those hoping to knock them off in 2014
• He's got less than a month remaining as a high school student, and in January he'll take his talents from Millville to Happy Valley. Listen in to hear what's on the mind of one of South Jersey's best football players, and how he plans on making a splash in a very big pond next fall
• Mike McGarry gives us an early preview of his "2014 Best Of" section out this weekend in the Press of Atlantic City, and offers some of his favorite moments from an incredible Cape-Atlantic League season
• Courier-Post sports writer Kevin Minnick recaps an amazing season in the wild West Jersey Football League, and reveals which standout players could be getting some looks at the college level

Listen to this week's show:

Kevin Minnick, Courier-Post sports reporter

Paul Sacco, St. Joseph Wildcats head football coach

Mike McGarry, Press of Atlantic City sports reporter

Antoine White, Millville Thunderbolts linebacker & incoming 2014 Penn State freshman

It’s all right here, on The South Jersey Sports Report. Listen every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on 97.3 ESPN-FM or 973espn.com, and catch the expanded edition every Thursday night from 6-7 p.m.

Follow Tyler Donohue on Twitter @TDsTake