Tartacoff debuts new Raider girls’ strengths
By: Justin Feil
Ali Tartacoff wasn’t a part of the Hun School girls’ basketball team that went 22-3 last year, but she hopes to be a big part of this year’s Raiders team that is hoping to build on last season.
Tartacoff put on quite a display in her prep school debut as she poured in 18 points, including four three-pointers, and dished out seven assists with just one turnovers in an 86-28 opening-season win over Lower Moreland on Saturday.
"We wanted to come out strong," said Tartacoff, a junior who transferred from Montgomery High. "We wanted to send a statement. We wanted to show everyone we’re back and powerful. We’re just as powerful this year.
"Obviously, we lost Shantee (Darrian, now a Providence University freshman). They had really good camaraderie last year. We’re still hoping to have that this year. We have to if we want to be successful. Talent-wise, we’re just as good. Keeping the camaraderie strong is something we have to maintain."
The first game made it seem as though the camaraderie is already there, even though the Raiders have just two returning starters. Tartacoff and Amanda Sepulveda, a transfer from Perth Amboy High, give them a dynamic backcourt. Sepulveda finished with three three-pointers and 13 points.
"They got to know each other pretty quickly in summer league," said Hun coach Bill Holup, whose team plays Pennington today. "There’s no practicing, but they got to know each other in games. They started to get to know each other personality wise and skill wise."
Both, Saturday’s opener showed, have plenty of skill. Tartacoff was starting as a freshman at MHS and brings some of the things that the Raiders could miss with Darrian’s graduation.
"She’s a great ball handler who can play one or two," Holup said. "She’s very versatile. She’s very aggressive. She’s a hard-nosed ball player. She goes after loose balls as well. She’s an experienced player. She’s been starting at the high school level, and she knows some of the girls from AAU."
Both Tartacoff and Sepulveda played point guard for their public school teams, but they’ve quickly learned to coexist in the backcourt at Hun. Tartacoff says it was never an issue.
"We both knew we were point guards," she said. "When one of has the ball, we take it up and we’re looking for each other (for shots). It’s more that we can highlight each other. We work well together. Everyone’s unselfish. Everyone works hard and we help each other if we see something we can do."
The two helped the Raiders beat a Lower Moreland team handily after winning against them by 11 points last year. The addition of players like Tartacoff and Sepulveda changes the Raiders this year and, they hope, makes them a stronger team.
"They were better last year," Holup said of Lower Moreland, "but a lot of it changes with the three-point shot. When you’re hitting threes, you can score a lot of points quickly. We are a much better shooting team this year.
"We’re also much quicker. But we only have two seniors this year. We had six seniors last year. They’re working to look for each other. If you hit the person who’s open, a higher percentage goes in. And we have good shooters."
Holup also likes the extras that his backcourt brings. Tartacoff’s seven assists came from a variety of angles, from a long find for a layup as the Raiders broke out to a 28-6 first-quarter lead to a nifty feed inside against Lower Moreland’s zone defense. And with just one turnover, Tartacoff proved an upgrade for Hun.
"That’s terrific," Holup said of her numbers. "We had trouble at times with turnovers. Both point guards can shoot like there’s no tomorrow. They’re definitely the best shooters I’ve ever coached."
Tartacoff is enjoying the move to a more up-tempo pace from the more deliberate offense she was accustomed to the last two years. With every rebound, the Raiders were looking to run Saturday and it wasn’t just Tartacoff who was finding players open running down the court, but she was savoring every layup they got in transition.
"This is probably my favorite style," she said. "It’s fast. It’s fun. We’re not slowing the ball up. It’s just playing fundamental basketball."
The Raiders are hoping that the style translates into an even more successful season. Despite the team’s overall youth, the goals and expectations are higher. The Raiders know they’ll face stiffer challenges, beginning with Pennington today.
"They lost Kylee (Rossi)," Holup noted. "But they always have good athletes. I’m sure they’ll have something in place to put them in position to win. We have to play together."
Tartacoff added, "I don’t know much about their team. If we come out and play our game, they’ll have a tough time beating us. Hopefully we’ll come out strong and hopefully we can take another win."
Beyond Pennington, the Raiders face one of their new additions to the schedule, a Penn Charter team that is highly regarded in the Pennsylvania prep leagues.
"Last year, we dominated a lot of teams," Tartacoff said. "This year, we upped our schedule. We’re going to play a lot of tough teams. Every game for us is going to be a win for us or a close game. We’re working hard and we’re having a lot of fun.
"Everyone on our team loves the game of basketball. Everyone is unselfish. When you put us together, we work well as a team. It helps each other’s skills."
Ali Tartacoff is just one highly skilled player new to the Raiders, and one of the reasons the Hun girls’ basketball team expects to take another step up this season.