New-look Red Raiders hope to defend prep title

Pennington girls basketball

By: Mike Molaro
   Anyone who thought The Pennington School girls basketball squad would be feeling the pressure of defending its Prep B state championship this season might be surprised to find that being a marked target on opponents’ schedules isn’t the Red Raiders’ top challenge.
   "The girls are struggling a little with learning the new offenses," Red Raider co-head coach Dean Waters said. "We put in all new offenses this year. The girls are almost starting from scratch, as far as the offense is concerned."
   Pennington, which topped Rutgers Prep 50-42 last year for its second state championship, is looking for its eighth consecutive trip to the Prep B title game.
   Coming off a 21-6 season — the second 20-win campaign in school history — the Red Raiders will rely on their juniors and sophomores to lead the way for a roster that contains no seniors.
   They opened their 2005-2006 schedule with a 34-21 home triumph over Solebury last Friday.
   Returning juniors are forwards Kristine Miranda, Meghan Reed, Keri Washington and Maureen Wells and guards Kori Washington and Ali Kliment. Returning sophomores are guards Kira Kliment and Chantel Lavender and forward Lyndsay Rossi.
   Freshmen who could see key minutes are Alexa Carugati, Adriana DeCervantes, Maria Kane, Heidi Sabatura, Lindsay Smart and Colleen Williams.
   With that junior and sophomore core tournament-tested and ready to rock, the Red Raiders, who lost guards Kylee Rossi and Andrea Picariello to graduation, are fine-tuning their arsenal.
   "These girls are athletes," said Waters, who is beginning his 15th season and third with co-head coach Joe Fanning. "If I had to describe this team in one word, athleticism would be it.
   "We are working on running our offense. We have to move the ball well and set our picks. We are polishing it up."
   Pennington, which also captured the Prep B crown in 2001-2002, knows it is the hunted this year, and teams like Rutgers Prep, which won the state title in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004, are the hunters.
   "The girls are not feeling the pressure yet," Waters said. "We will have to talk to them about it and how they will handle it. Right now, we are having some challenges with our new offenses."
   As always, it will be the Red Raider defense that fuels the engine.
   "Our defense is what makes us," Waters said. "The defense has to create things for us."
   In addition to defending its state title, Pennington wants to make its mark against Mercer County’s best.
   "We’ve been to the county tournament semifinals the past two years," Waters said. "We want to go to the finals.
   "That’s very difficult, because there are a lot of quality teams in Mercer County."
   When that list of the county’s top teams is complete, it’s a safe bet that the Red Raiders will be near the top.
• NOTES: Keri Washington led all scorers with 13 points against Solebury, and Lavender added 10 for Pennington, which led 17-13 at halftime.
   The Red Raider defense held the visitors to single digits in each quarter, including just one over the final eight minutes.