Dramatic Improvement for Blue Devil JV Girls' BB
Sophomore Emma Hughes led the Huntington junior varsity girls' basketball team this winter as the Blue Devils improved by leaps-and-bounds over the course of the 15 week schedule.
Danielle DeAngelis coached the 10-player squad, which was captained by Hughes. Huntington finished with a 6-8 league mark, 6-12 overall. "Each individual contributed to the team in their own way," DeAngelis said.
Hughes stepped up on the first day of practice and assumed a leadership role with the team. "She led by example and was a great role model," DeAngelis said. "Emma did a great job bringing the ball up and setting up her teammates."
Katie Reilly, Madison Colwin, Savannah Richardson, Amy Schmelter, Hayley Petrizzi, Hanna Murphy, Jontae Smith, Maliyah Davis and Elizabeth Cotter rounded out the roster.
Reilly, a hardworking, determined eighth grader shined. "She always gave 110 percent," DeAngelis said. "She was a great defender and did a great job handing the point guard position under fire."
Colwin played guard and forward and displayed a solid outside shot and ability to drive hard to the basket. Richardson was a strong power forward who developed slick moves to the basket. "She was aggressive on defense and grabbed a lot of rebounds," DeAngelis said. "She is quick to the basket and always worked hard, no matter what the situation was."
Schmelter was another multi-position player with an outside shot from three-point range. "Amy did a great job finishing key foul shots at the end of close games," DeAngelis said. Petrizzi was an aggressive small forward who steadily improved and developed nifty post moves to the basket. She sported a positive and encouraging attitude with her teammates.
Murphy played forward, grabbing rebounds and boxing out opponents. "She always came to practice with a positive attitude and a smile on her face," DeAngelis said. Smith was a tough defender and used dominating ball-handling skills to move past any player to the basket.
Davis was able to shut down many opposing point guards, forcing a string of turnovers. Cotter was injured all season, but still came to every practice and game, encouraging her teammates every step of the way.
"The best team accomplishments this season were the dramatic improvements shown from the beginning to the end," DeAngelis said.
The squad's most exciting game came when it topped Copiague by two points in a rematch after losing the first time around by nine points. "The girls proved to themselves that with confidence and effort they were capable of winning such a close game," DeAngelis said.