The boys' basketball team is turning heads - and winning games - at West Deptford

MJ Iraldi had a feeling this season would be different for the West Deptford boys' basketball team.

Did he know the Eagles would match their win total for the previous two seasons before the calendar flipped to February?

Probably not, but the impressive 6-foot-4 junior guard felt that the Eagles would be on the upswing, and that has certainly been the case.

West Deptford earned its 11th consecutive win with Thursday’s 63-56 overtime victory over visiting Haddon Heights. That put the Eagles record at 15-2, matching the win total from the previous two seasons combined.

“We knew coming in that we weren’t going to be this under-.500 team,” said Iraldi, who entered the weekend averaging 14.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists. “We all had confidence and have stuck together.”

While the Eagles entered the season confident, few could have envisioned winning 15 of the first 17 games.

“It seems like we are a Cinderella team this year,” said 6-1 junior Brandon Ratcliffe, who is averaging 18.1 points and 2.4 assists and whose father, Phil, was a 1,000-point scorer at West Deptford. “People say you haven’t played anybody, but we are beating the teams on the schedule, and we are happy about that.”

The win over Haddon Heights avenged an opening-night loss to the Garnets. The other loss came to Haddonfield, the Inquirer’s No. 3 team in the Top 25.

So the Eagles have definitely exceeded preseason expectations.

West Deptford isn’t likely to oust Haddonfield in the Colonial Conference Liberty Division or in South Jersey Group 2. Adding to the degree of difficulty is that the Inquirer’s No. 5 team, Camden, is also in Group 2.

Yet the Eagles can’t worry about that.

Not every successful season ends in a conference or sectional championship. The goal is to improve, and even if the Eagles are underdogs in the Group 2 tournament, any team can get hot on a given day.

And teams often win in the postseason with guards, and the tandem of Iraldi and Ratcliffe matches with most.

Iraldi is technically the point guard, but both do a heavy load of ball handling. Teams can’t take one away by pressing because the other can beat you.

Both are especially dangerous in taking it to the hoop.

“Brandon has quickness and explosiveness, and MJ has length,” said fifth-year West Deptford coach J. McKeown. “Brandon usually draws the better defender and gets pressure a lot, so we have MJ bring it up.”

Elijah Mallory, a 6-5 senior, is the third-leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points. He is explosive going to the basket and left his calling card against Haddon Heights with a ferocious driving dunk.

The other two starters are Chris Budd, a 6-1 senior, and Kieran McKeown, a 6-2 junior who is a nephew of the coach. Both do a little bit of everything to contribute to winning.

Jion White, a 5-8 junior, is a defensive whiz who sees plenty of time, while 6-2 junior Carter Cranmer often battles inside against far taller opponents.

This is a team that loves to play in transition, and Iraldi and Ratcliffe especially take advantage of the open floor to get to the basket.

The key for the Eagles is not to be satisfied with what they have accomplished, especially with the postseason beginning at the end of this month.

The players say it has been nice to see the increased crowds attending the games. The team is creating a buzz around school, and word about this competitive unit is leaking out throughout South Jersey.

After two seasons of taking their lumps, the Eagles have learned their lessons and now stand as one of the most surprising and improved teams in all of South Jersey.