The Dartmouth girls’ basketball team got a much-needed confidence boost on Friday, Jan. 20, ending a two-game losing streak with a 77-47 win over New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High.

The win comes at a crucial time as the team prepares for a tough stretch of games between Feb. 7 and 13 which will pit them against New Bedford High (5-3), Durfee (9-2), and Bridgewater-Raynham (8-2).

“We have a tough schedule but we’re looking forward to the opportunity,” said Dartmouth head coach Brian Jalbert. “We’re not just gonna bow down.”

The Dartmouth team, which currently sits at 7-5 after Friday’s win, will need to finish the season with more wins than losses to make it to the playoff tournament.

“The season’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster. We’ve had some good close games that we unfortunately lost, so a game like tonight was nice,” said Jalbert. “We’re looking to turn the corner a little bit and I’m thinking that we have, but let’s see if we can keep some momentum going after tonight.”

Jalbert said that a big part of the team’s success this season has been thanks to its captains, senior Abbie Zuber and sophomore Katherine Cheesebro, who led the team with 21 points in Friday’s game.

“[Cheesebro] leads the league in scoring. She’s a sophomore but she’s a great leader,” he said. “Abby Zuber really steps up. She was injured for a few games, which hurt us, but she’s such a great kid — they’re all great kids.”

Zuber, who has played on the team since her freshman year, said this year’s squad is younger than average but that the players have made up for their lack of experience with hard work.

“We’ve had some pretty strong teams the years I’ve been here and we’ve usually been very senior heavy, but the last two years we haven’t had many seniors,” she said. “So we’re a pretty young team but we work hard, we give a lot of effort.”

Cheesebro agreed, explaining that what the team lacks in shooting ability, it makes up for with power in the paint.

“I think our energy is one of our biggest strengths — definitely driving in,” she said. “We’re not really an outside shooting team but when we drive we usually get really good shots.”

Cheesebro added that she believes the team will finish strong in its final six games to qualify for the playoff tournament.

“I’m really confident that we’re going to be able to make the playoffs,” she said. “I think we definitely have what it takes to win a couple more games to get 10 wins. And I think we can make a good run.”

Dartmouth will travel to Apponequet (5-6) for its next game on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m.