Helping Pirates as point guard
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Aside from playing with fellow tri-captains Liz Huttner and Tory Sharpless, much has changed for Steph Dontas.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South senior has been given more responsibility for the girls basketball team’s successes, and she has delivered.
”I’ve been starting since sophomore year,” said Dontas, who scored 15 points in the Pirates’ 62-38 win over Hightstown on Friday. “Each year, my role has definitely changed. It’s become more of a vital role over the years.
”I’ve been playing with Liz and Tory forever, but now I’m playing point guard for us, and it’s a totally different team. It’s a very young team. We have to practice differently and play differently.”
Gone are two of last year’s regular starters, Becky Peters, who starts as a freshman for Fordham University, and Amanda Terebey, a freshman guard at Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham. In place of Peters, who served as the Pirates’ point guard, is Dontas, who is being asked to score and distribute the ball along with providing that great intangible, leadership.
”I knew I had to fill in as a point guard,” Dontas said. “Coach has a lot of respect for me. She told me I have to be a leader on the court. That’s what I’m trying to do.
”In AAU, I had a similar role to what I have on South,” she added. “I knew I had to fill a role. With Becky and Amanda alone, that’s 30 points a game (gone).”
The tri-captains and returning veteran Erica Simi have done their part to pick up the scoring slack. Huttner led the Pirates with 18 points and Sharpless added 13 in the win over Hightstown. With Friday’s win, the Pirates find themselves in a familiar position.
”The last couple years, we were 2-2 coming out of the holiday tournament and then went undefeated in January. It’s a similar position. I’m very confident about it.”
Dontas is one source of the rising confidence among the Pirates’ less experienced players. While she plays soccer and lacrosse in high school, she is the only Pirate who plays organized basketball year-round, and spending the last year with the New Jersey Rising Stars has paid off.
”I’ve played AAU since seventh grade,” Dontas said. “Last year was the most serious year and the most competitive team. I wanted to get on a more competitive team to help. I tried out for them and made it. I definitely got better from the summer.”
Dontas has proven capable of running the Pirates, and providing a lift as a shooter, passer and defender.
”She’s been playing well,” said Pirates head coach Lisa Guarneri, whose team plays at Nottingham tonight. “She’s our leader on the court. She’s our point guard. She has to take care of the press and handle any kind of pressure. She’s good enough that we can clear out and she can run the plays. This year, she’s added the three-pointer. She’s looking to play college as well.
”The last couple years, Becky has been running the point for us,” Guarneri said. “Steph has done a great job for us. Whatever I ask of her, she gets it done for us. She’s even added the scoring aspect, which is real nice. Her passing is great too. She’s finding the right people at the right time.”
She’s also been able to call her own number when the Pirates need a basket. Dontas has made herself into a bigger threat to score from the outside because she knew it was something WW-P South would need this season.
”That’s definitely one of the things I’ve been working on over the summer,” Dontas said. “I learned over the summer that the success with that comes with shooting 100 times a game. This year, I worked on my range.”
Dontas is keeping good academic fits high on her list as she pares her college choices. First and foremost, however, she is working on making this season the best it can possibly be and enjoying the challenge of a new squad.
”It’s exactly what I wanted,” she said. “Every practice, every game, the people that are younger are learning what it’s like to be on a successful varsity team. We watch films and we watch how we played defense last year. In the beginning, they did not get it. Coach wants the three captains to be very vocal. They’re definitely learning. We’re not anywhere where we should be, but I think we can beat anybody we play.”
The Pirates face some of their toughest tests in the next week. Beyond Nottingham, they host Hopewell Valley on Friday and then play Steinert, which defeated Trenton, next Friday.
”We definitely have a rough schedule,” Dontas said. “We play some of the best teams in the CVC. Ever single aspect can be stepped up to another level. Defense, especially our press, with some of the people that have come on the varsity team, we have to change the way we press depending on who’s in. If people get to their spots faster, that’ll help. We work on speed more than ever.
”Also, if the play’s not working right, learning how to play the game instead of relying on what Coach’s calling, we can definitely get better at that.”
Always staples, the Pirates’ rebounding and defense have carried them thus far. They led Hightstown, 11-1, after the first quarter Friday. WW-P South is starting to find more weapons on offense to support its veteran returners.
”I’m getting really good leadership with my seniors,” Guarneri said. “It’s a different team. We’ve got some younger kids stepping up into roles. We’re learning more about what we are. The three senior captains are picking it up the last couple games. We had a bad loss to Rutgers Prep, but they’ve stepped it up to win the last two and got the other kids involved.”
It’s all part of the new job description for Steph Dontas, who has enjoyed a big start to her last season with the Pirate girls.

