Bordentown girls’ basketball goal is to keep winning

By Sean Moylan, Sports Writer
   ”Our goal is to walk on the floor and win every game each time we step on the court,” said Bordentown High girls’ varsity basketball head coach Rob Shappell. “I’m very happy with them. We’re working very hard.”
   Shappell knows that his team can’t win every single game, but by going into each game with a deep conviction that they can win, the Scotties will be victorious in more than their fair share of contests.
   This year Bordentown will have four talented seniors in Kara Lynch, Samantha Cobbs, Jenna Tanzini and Stephanie Hazlett to lead the way.
   Lynch will be the point guard and run the show as always.
   ”She looks good, she’s a very smart player,” said Shappell of Lynch, who handles the ball well and always seems to make sound basketball decisions on both sides of the court.
   A great outside shooter who can take the ball to the hole as well, Cobbs can do a little bit of everything on the basketball court and she is fine two-guard.
   ”As far as being a pure basketball player, that’s her (Cobbs) sport,” added Shappell. “And Stephanie Hazlett . . . she’s just a great all-around athlete. She’s my only kid over six feet tall.”
   Hazlett is a center-forward with plenty of basketball skills while Tanzini, a small forward, is an excellent outside shooter.
   ”I have a couple of impressive juniors. Jessica Villalba, a junior guard, she’s unbelievably quick and she’s an unbelievable soccer player. In basketball she comes right at you. She’s just a natural athlete,” remarked Shappell. “Harlee Gallo (a guard), she’s another one with good court vision and she’s aggressive.”
   Junior forward, Molly Napolitano, will get a lot of varsity minutes because of her aggressive play and all of the tremendous hard work she puts in. Furthermore, she is always trying to improve her game.
   Junior Ashley Jaekel has also impressed Shappell, who commented on Jaekel, “she does the little things right and she’s got a nice close-range jumper.”
   Shappell is also expecting big seasons out of his super sophomores Allicia Pickett and Ashley Adams.
   ”Allicia Pickett, she’s a hybrid. She’s got the basketball skill of a Sam Cobbs combined with the aggressiveness and quickness of Jessica Villalba,” said Shappell, who loves Adams’ toughness as a basketball player. “She’s (Adams) a little under-sized for a power forward, but she has a nice jump shot, a great attitude and a great work ethic.”
   Shappell will be assisted by girls’ freshmen basketball coach Larry Carthan and girls’ junior varsity basketball coach Yolanda Ward.
   ”I couldn’t ask for two better assistants,” added Shappell, who will also have one of his former players, Emily Napolitano, helping out. “The freshmen class coming in is a nice group and so is the junior varsity squad.”
   This is Shappell’s fourth season and his Scotties made the playoffs in his previous three years coaching them. Last year’s team was 11-14.
   Meghan McDonald and Dana and Danielle Jenkins, who were all solid front-line players for Bordentown last season, graduated while last year’s center, Sierra Mendenhall, transferred to Trenton High. So the Scotties may be a bit more guard-oriented this year. But that’s okay because most high school basketball teams are built around their guards. And Shappell may add a player or two before the start of the season.
   Shappell really likes this team — as basketball players and as people — and he believes that starting in a few weeks Bordentown fans will like them too. Look for the Scotties to make a return trip to the playoffs.