Cohesive Finley Girls’ Basketball Team Makes Strides

Kaitlyn Purcell, Brianna Purcell and Ava Bencivenga paced the J. Taylor Finley Middle School girls’ basketball “white” team offense this past season as the Blue Devils worked hard to stay competitive against a series of tough opponents.

Huntington’s school colors are blue and white. Section XI designates double teams in the same sport by district colors. The Blue Devils have double teams in boys’ and girls’ soccer and basketball and girls’ volleyball so in each case one team is designated blue and the other is white.

Coached by Hildi Stanford, Finley-White featured a great group of seventh and eighth grade girls captained by Bencivenga and Juliet Johnson.

“Working together as a team and supporting and cheering for one another was our best accomplishment,” Stanford said. “Regardless of the score of the game, the girls never stopped being positive; cheering for each other and building each other up. We may not have won many games, but the girls never let that stop them from being exciting and playing hard.

Kaitlyn Purcell scored 30 points and Bencivenga dropped 22 points. Brianna Purcell tallied 19 points. “Kaitlyn and Brianna are both great assets on the court with ball control, taking shots, getting rebounds and making steals on defense,” Stanford said. “Both girls were such a huge part of the team on offense and defense. I’m excited to see both girls back on the court next year. Ava Bencivenga was the team leader and starred at point guard.”

The team’s roster also include Darphyna Augustin, Mikiyla-Racquel Blizzard, Ali Brady, Dayana Cruz Melendez, Thania Guardado, Matison Kindelmann, Charlotte Krause, Arielle Melendez, Gianna Parides, Melody Pierre-Louis, Ava Venga and Milania Watelier.

“It was such a positive, upbeat, hardworking group of girls,” Stanford said. “With a predominately young team, I’m looking for most of the girls to return and continue working hard.”