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MANVILLE: Girls play better in holiday tourney

Too many turnovers in early games

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   Turnovers have been the primary problem for the Manville High girls in the early part of the basketball season.
   The Lady Mustangs (0-3) committed 32 turnovers in their 67-27 opening loss to Belvidere and 23 in their 64-19 setback at Mount St. Mary’s Academy. In both cases, Manville had more turnovers than points.
   While it’s unlikely the MHS girls could have defeated either of those two powerful teams by taking better care of the ball, they certainly would have been in close contention in their holiday tournament game vs. Dunellen. Manville turned the ball over 28 times and that cost the team dearly in a 47-32 loss.
   The Lady Mustangs committed most of those turnovers in the first half but saw what could happen when they executed better. Dunellen started the game on an 18-2 run but Manville actually enjoyed the edge on the scoreboard in the final three quarters.
   ”We got on our game,” Manville coach Rick McCarrick said. “We started running the floor better and running through our offense. We had some opportunities and we finished. If we could have done that against the other teams, we would have been much more competitive.”
   Three players scored at least eight points in a balanced effort for the Manville girls. Kate Pornovets, the team’s leading scorer so far, continued her solid start with 11 points and three rebounds. Dana Mortensen hit 5-of-6 shots from the field to finish with 11 points. Amy Evanylo contributed eight points on 4-of-6 shooting to go with five rebounds.
   Manville shot well from the field and the line in the holiday game, which was played at Middlesex. Since there were only three teams in the tourney, there was no consolation game so the Lady Mustangs only played once.
   Mortensen, Evanylo and Anna Isachenko (2-of-3) led a 13-for-27 team effort from the floor. Pornovets went 5-of-6 from the line to fuel a 6-for-8 team performance. Evanylo and senior Amanda Furka were the co-leaders on the boards with five rebounds apiece.
   Dunellen did a great job executing its offense in the first quarter and took a big lead. Manville didn’t quit and actually benefited from a more helter-skelter flow of action.
   ”We played better when the game became more chippy,” McCarrick said. “It wasn’t a settled offense but that helped us. We were getting baskets off fast breaks. We were keeping our heads up and running the floor.”
   Turnovers haven’t been the team’s only problem. The MHS girls need to find a perimeter shooter who can keep defenses honest. Pornovets and Evanylo can score inside, but it’s tougher when opposing defenses pack it in.
   Pornovets led Manville with 10 points and five rebounds in the opener vs. Belvidere but was held to four points at Mount St. Mary. Pornovets hit a season-high 11 points in the loss to Dunellen.
   ”Kate played a great game,” McCarrick said. “If we can get her as a threat on the inside and have somebody willing to take shots on the outside, that’s going to open things up.”
   Senior Amanda Furka had a solid opening game with eight points and six boards, while Kim Jones grabbed a season-high seven rebounds against Belvidere. The Lady Mustangs only pulled down nine rebounds as a team against Mount St. Mary.
   ”Mount St. Mary’s was an incredible team,” McCarrick said. “They had very big girls and they had girls who could hit from the outside.”
   Manville shot just 35 percent from the field and made 3-of-11 from the line in that loss but improved in all areas in its third game. McCarrick was encouraged by the team’s performance in the final three quarters against Dunellen and is hoping it will carry over into January.
   ”We did a good job lessening our turnover number in the last game,” McCarrick said. “That’s what we have to keep doing.”
   The Lady Mustangs were set to face North Warren, Bernards and Hackettstown, all on the road, in the first week of the New Year.