By tim morris
Staff Writer
Howell High School’s girls’ basketball team is poised to make another late-season push that they hope could land them in the state playoffs.
After a 0-3 start, the Rebels were less concerned about the postseason than they were about getting a win.
But with three consecutive wins, the Rebels (4-7) have turned the corner and are looking to finish with a flurry.
Coach Julie Hoebee could look at two reasons for the tough December: the schedule and the fact that she was working four freshmen into the rotation.
The Rebels opened the season with the state’s No. 2 team, Marlboro, and then opened the Jack Kuhnert Holiday Tournament with a date with Colts Neck, currently No. 7 in the Shore. Throw in always-dangerous Middletown North, and the ingredients for a slow start were there.
But the young Rebels have begun to find their way and an upset of Raritan on Jan. 17 has them back in the running for the playoffs.
"I brought four freshmen up," noted Hoebee. "These kids have the skills to warrant playing on the varsity level. It was hard for the freshmen to get used to the pace.
"They’re finding their way and our chemistry is falling in place," she added.
The team’s chemistry is a tribute to the upperclassmen, like Jen Brown, Courtney Krol and Ashley Healy, according to Hoebee.
"Our upperclassmen are great kids. They accepted the freshmen with open arms and guided them," she said. "They have been nice role models for the kids."
Brianne Lavin, Colleen Thomas, Ali Goldsmith and Jaime Biddle are the freshmen that Hoebee has inserted into the lineup. Lavin, a point guard, and Thomas, a forward, are starters.
Lavin is growing into the position and seeing the floor better with every game. She is the first true point guard since Staci Minuskin, who is now playing at Rowan University, Glassboro. Thomas provides an inside and outside presence and is a superb rebounder.
Goldsmith and Biddle are both versatile players, like Thomas, and can play guard or forward.
"Their versatility gives us flexibility," said Hoebee.
Chemistry aside, the Rebels have gotten back into the playoff picture on the defensive end of the floor.
"We have played outstanding defense," Hoebee said. "I rotate a solid 10 or 11 players every game. We always have fresh legs.
"We’ve been playing high-pressure half-court defense," she added.
Because of the versatility and depth of her team, Hoebee has been able to adjust Howell’s defense to the team it is playing. In the 68-54 upset of Raritan, the Rebels used a 3-2 zone. In their 38-35 win over Ocean on Jan. 21, it was man-to-man that did the trick. The Rebels also play a match-up 2-3 zone.
Offensively, it is veterans Brown and Healy, along with Thomas, who have been the club’s most consistent scorers. The team has gotten double figures from at least one of them in every game.
In the 68-54 win over Raritan, Healy led the way with 16 and Brown had 11. Biddle had 11 including two threes. Healy was the high scorer in the 38-35 squeaker in Ocean. Meg Coleman snapped a 34-34 tie with a pair of pressure-packed free throws with 54 seconds left.
Monday, Howell beat Long Branch, 49-45, and tonight, the Rebels visit Freehold Township. These two games may well determine if the Rebels extend their season to March.