KINGSTON — The Kingston High School boys basketball team picked up some good habits and dropped some bad ones this season, resulting in a complete turnaround.

The Buccaneers finished the 2007-08 season without a win. Last year, they managed just one victory. Now they sit in second place in the Olympic League, with just one loss, to Port Angeles.

“I see that we’re kind of getting into the mentality that we expect to win, which is great,” Head Coach Blake Conley said. “If you look at any successful team, they have that. Are you going to win every game? No. But if you don’t expect to win coming into it, then you’re not going to have a chance.”

Getting into the habit of winning has a lot to do with dropping the habits that led to losing. Senior guard Aaron Lawrence says a stronger work ethic, coupled with a new defensive strategy, has been a key factor in the team’s success.

“We’ve worked mostly on our defense,” Lawrence said. “Coach just wants us to go out there and play hard and play some defense, because we were pretty lazy last year.”

Conley agreed, saying grit is the first ingredient in a winning season.

“Working hard is the No. 1 key,” he said. “You could have the best X’s and O’s, or the best talent, but if you’re not working hard, and you don’t outwork your opponent, you’re not going to be successful.”

Lawrence said experience also helped the Bucs get into the right mindset this season.

“Our heads are in the right place now, and everybody’s got more experience at the varsity level,” he said.

Conley said the team’s biggest challenges lie ahead. The Bucs host W.F. West High School Saturday, before going into a string of difficult Olympic League games.

“Being 6-1 is great, but January is going to be a tough month,” Conley said. “The W.F. West game will be a good indication of where we’re at after the winter break and what we need to work on, because Tuesday we go to Sequim which is going to be a pretty big game for us.”

To stay at the top of the league, Conley said the Bucs need to remain focused and cannot look past any opponent, which can be challenging for a team experiencing newfound success.

“In this league, I don’t think there’s a team that can’t beat another team this year,” Conley said. “You’ve got to bring your best every game.”