Rams must win five of next eight games to reach .500 by Feb. 2
By richard jerome
Staff Writer
In his first year at the helm of the South River High School girls’ basketball team, Eric Clays seems satisfied with the progress of his 6-8 Rams.
"I’d like to be a couple of wins better, but this is kind of on schedule for us," he said. "I’m not disappointed. The girls are working very hard."
The Rams, who most recently defeated Metuchen, face Carteret today.
Looking over the starters, 5-10 junior Tammy Wood has been providing some solid rebounding, tough defense and scoring, while sophomore Cassandra Martinez, who also stands 5-10, has also contributed under the boards and on offense.
"She’s done a nice job as a press-breaker," said Clays.
The coach is especially high on 5-4 junior guard Katie Daly.
"She has an excellent outside shot, and I think she’s one of the very best guards in the county," he said. "She shoots well, penetrates and passes well. She gives us a lot of experience."
Sophomore Taisha Clark (5-5) is strong to the basket and solid from the free-throw line, while the fifth starter, 5-5 soph Christine Mongelli, is extremely quick and plays good defense and a fine transition game.
Off the bench, 5-3 senior Jeanette Lucas is a leader with court smarts and a good passing touch, while another senior, 5-5 Luz DeJesus, is an "overachiever," according to Clays.
Among other subs, 5-5 sophomore Jen Yong-Yow is an extremely fast, tenacious defender who also performs well under the glass.
Freshman Tara Takac (5-5) has some quick defensive moves, with soph Christina Decorso (5-6) displaying an outside shooting touch, and 5-7 freshman Heather Walling solid under the boards, with some fine interior defense work.
Although Clays is pleased with his team’s effort through the first half, he expects to see some improvement as the second half gets under way.
"I’d like to see us play better basketball in the second half of the season," said Clays, who is assisted by Chris Brasno and Sarah Stout. "And it would be great to see us make the state tournament."
In order to do that, the team must have a .500 record Feb. 2. Including today’s game with Carteret and Saturday’s matchup with St. Mary’s, the Rams have a total of eight regular season games remaining before the cutoff.
South River must win at least five of those eight games in order to qualify.
In division play, the Rams are in the middle of the pack in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s Blue Division, which is headed by Carteret.