Mixed bag of results leaves team at 5-7
By: John E. Powers
There was the good, the very ugly, and something better, but not good enough for the Manville High School girls’ basketball team last week.
First was the team’s third win of the season against Bound Brook and fifth overall, followed by a forgettable loss at New Providence Thursday, and then Friday’s competitive road loss to Roselle Park.
The Manville girls started this week with a 5-7 record, still in position to secure a Central Jersey Group 1 playoff berth. But time is running out the cutoff is a week from Friday and the Lady Mustangs simply have to start playing better and winning games.
"I told the girls that we can only lose one more game from here (to the cutoff date)," Manville head coach Kyle Rehrig said.
Manville plays host to Newark Central the team it lost to 31-27 in the season opener then travels to Mount St. Mary Academy Thursday afternoon in Watchung, before ending the week at David Brearley Friday in Kenilworth.
The following week will include a game at powerful Belvidere and a Somerset County Tournament preliminary round contest. The county seeding meeting was scheduled for Wednesday.
"There are some push games that we really need to win, like I expect to beat Newark Central we should have won that first game," Rehrig said. "We really can’t afford to let those games get away. Roselle Park was one we expected to win. What kills me is that they lost to Bound Brook."
Last week started with a 37-27 win over Bound Brook, but was followed by a horrible 56-17 loss to New Providence Thursday and a 57-46 setback to Roselle Park Friday.
"The New Providence game was our worst of the season," Rehrig said. "We didn’t show up."
Roselle Park was a better experience, though the Panthers outscored the Mustangs 18-6 in the second quarter to pull away.
"Halfway through the third quarter we made a nice run and we had them back on their heels. We were down like 15, but the kids played really hard but they were exhausted they exerted so much energy to get back into it, but it was hard to maintain that level," Rehrig said. "Everybody’s been working hard, but we can’t seem to get it at the same time. There’s not a spurt where we have all five kids on the same page. The cohesiveness needs to be better."
One of the players who has blossomed is sophomore guard Samantha Aichele. She had eight points and 10 rebounds against Roselle Park and scored 11 of her team’s 17 points against New Providence.
"She can score, it’s a matter of confidence right now," Rehrig said.
The others have continued to forge on. Sophomore point guard Rhianna Lebedz had 15 points against Bound Brook, with senior swing Robyn Barb hitting for 12 points and eight rebounds.
"Rhianna has been playing exactly the same, but she’s taken the last two games really hard her shots haven’t been falling and teams have been pressing us and Rhianna has taken so much energy breaking the press," Rehrig said. "Robyn has been consistent. She’s rebounding, but has had some tough matchups. She has a tough one every game. We played Dayton and they had a 6-foot-1 freshman (Jacqueline Kuczynski)."