The Vashon Island High School Varsity Boys Basketball team saw its first loss of the season last Saturday, when the North Kitsap Vikings prevailed in victory, 54-34.

In addition, the Junior Varsity team lost 60-39 in a face-off against their counterpart at the same school on the same day.

“We’ve been fortunate to win some games as we’ve started the season, and will continue to focus on getting better every day,” Athletics Director Andy Sears wrote in an email to The Beachcomber. “All of our guys on both teams have been working really hard, and I’m proud of their work ethic, and the commitment they’ve made to get better. We’ve had some solid competition and some good tests during non-league play, and are excited to start league play.”

League matches are a series of games which, if teams are successful, could qualify them for playoffs to the state championship.

The latest game may have been an upset for the competing team, but so far this winter season, both Varsity and JV Pirates have been largely victorious.

According to the Nisqually League’s website, Varsity has won eight of its nine games since the season began Dec. 3. The biggest point margin the team came away with was on Dec. 27, when it trounced Muckleshoot Tribal School 48-31.

The Junior Varsity Team has also won all of its games except one since the season opener. The Junior VHS Pirates lost 38-31 against Seattle’s Northwest Cougars on Dec. 10.

The JV team was scheduled to play Klahowya Secondary School in an away game on Jan. 7 at 5:15 p.m. — after The Beachcomber’s press time the same day.

The team is also expected to play Bellevue Christian in an away game at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 and Seattle Christian at home at 5 p.m. on Jan. 14.

The Varsity team was scheduled to play Klahowya in an away game on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m.

The team is also expected to play Bellevue Christian in an away game at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 and Seattle Christian at home at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 14.

The Vashon Island High School Varsity Girls Basketball team lost against Chimacum High School, 29-22, on Jan. 2, in the second-to-last game of the pre-season.

The VHS Girls Varsity Pirates were scheduled to play Klahowya Secondary School in an away game in Silverdale at 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 7.

The game after that, scheduled for Jan. 10, will be the girls’ first league match.

Head Girls Basketball Coach Anya Serebryakov sounded an optimistic note, despite the team having only won two pre-season games since the season opener on Dec. 3.

“It’s pre-season, so all of these games right now, we are just trying to get better every day — trying to get into our rhythm, our flow, to prepare for when league starts,” Serebryakov said.

The only pre-season games the Varsity Girls team have won during the pre-season was against Northwest, 41-36, on Dec. 10, and another against Eastside Prep, 38-13, on Dec. 14.

The Varsity team lost games on Dec. 3, 6 and 7 against Overlake, Bremerton and University Prep, respectively.

But Serebryakov, who is in her first season with the Girls Pirate team, maintains a positive outlook for her student-athletes.

“My outlook for the team is they’re a group of girls that are working hard to be successful and learning a new program,” she said. “Effort is huge for me and I feel like they’re all coming forward each day and giving more and more effort so we can be a successful team.”

The team is scheduled to play Bellevue Christian in an away game at 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 10 and Seattle Christian in a home game at 7 p.m. on Jan. 14.

The Junior Varsity team, meanwhile, was scheduled to play Klahowya in an away game at 7 p.m. on Jan. 7. They also expected to play Seattle Academy in an away game at 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 8 and Bellevue Christian in an away game at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 10.

The Junior Varsity Girls lost three out of four of the pre-season games in December. They beat Northwest 33-15 on Dec. 10.

“It’s the same for JV and Varsity — as long as we’re getting better each and every day, that’s what matters,” Serebryakov said. “Winning the games will just come; if you put in practice, it will come out in the game.”

There have been no Junior Varsity games between Dec. 20 and the New Year, since the Junior Varsity Girls were on holiday break, according to Serebryakov. However, some of the Juniors played with the Varsity team in games over that time period.

“We’re kind of one big team,” Serebryakov said.