When Mike Puorro took over the Barnegat High School varsity basketball team in 2014, he knew he had some work cut out for him. The Bengal hoopsters were 8-41 the previoustwo seasons and started out the2013-14 campaign by losingtheir first 17 games.

But the outlook is a lot rosier now for the Shore Conference B-South team, which last season set a record for wins (18) and made it to the semifinal round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group II boys basketball playoffs before losing to Camden, 50-30.