South Kitsap boys basketball team began their season with a 59-47 win against Port Angeles Dec. 3. Then, to top the week off, the Wolves beat Bethel 63-52 the following Saturday.

In the game against Port Angeles, Eric Wattree lead the scoring with 23 points. Isaiah Lewis scored 12, and Jesse Strutz followed with 11 points contributing to the win.

The Wolves junior varsity and C-team squads also beat Port Angeles with scores of 68-58 and 68-38, respectively.

Wattree had another impressive night against Bethel, leading the scoring with 29 points.

Head coach, John Callaghan has high expectations for the 2015-2016 basketball season.

“Our league should be very competitive, which means there will be some exciting games,” he said.

Callaghan has been coaching the Wolves for 18 years. Callaghan had teams place int he 4A state boys basketball tournament every year from 2011-06. But, most notably, Coach Callaghan led the Wolves to what could have been the biggest upset win in school history. South faced top-ranked Garfield in Mill Creek and went in to overtime for a memorable game in Callaghan’s coaching hat.

Key returners this year to help the Wolves get back to the state tournament include high-scorer Wattree, Isaiah Lewis and Daniel Tomkiewicz. All three are seniors and look to make an impact their final season as Wolves.

And they face stiff competition. Several teams in the Narrows League, as well as the South Puget Sound League, have pretty impressive looking lineups.  Gig Harbor will be lead by all-league forward Sam Gagliardi and senior Mike Toglia hoping to redeem the Tide for their season last year. Gig Harbor was one game away from playing in the Tacoma Dome as they fell to Davis at the regional tournament in Yakima.

“Every game will be exciting, but definitely Gig Harbor, Bellarmine and Timberline will be fun games,” Callaghan said.

The Wolves finished with a league record of 11-8 and played two Federal Way schools in the 4A District Tournament. Eventual fifth-placing Todd Beamer knocked South Kitsap out with a win of 72-56. With a new coach, the Titans have an uphill battle to compete with the team’s best season in the school’s 12-year history.

Coach Callaghan and the Wolves are up to the challenge.

“This years team has worked very hard to get to this point,” Callaghan said. “They are very athletic and our team chemistry is good and getting better. They will be fun to watch.”

The Wolves next take on Yelm, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.