By Rich Fisher, Sports Editor
The win total for the Monroe Township High School girls basketball team in 2005-06 wasn’t too hard to figure out.
Unless you can’t count past one.
It got a little tougher the following year, as the Falcons improved to three victories.
Last year, they went one better, with four digits under the “W” column.
Notice a trend here?
Well, it’s continuing
This year’s version of MTHS girls basketball is 6-14 and, despite a four-game losing streak after Monday’s close setback to North Brunswick, it is a much-improved team from the past.
Junior Katie Douglas, who played on that 3-16 squad as a freshman, is a perfect witness to how things have changed.
”Oh my God, my freshman year was crazy,” Douglas said after the Falcons’ loss at Lawrence High last Saturday. “We wouldn’t even come close to any teams, compared to this year. We would lose by like, 70, to New Brunswick, and we almost beat New Brunswick this year.”
As bad as that was, there were some seasons prior to that where Monroe had no wins.
That reputation is slowly changing, as even the MTHS student body inquires about games differently.
”In school now people will say ‘Did you win?’” Douglas said. “They won’t just say ‘Oh, you lost.’ like they used to do. And now more people are coming to our games to support us.”
Douglas hoped it would be like this, but when she was a ninth-grader, she had other things on her mind.
”I was more concerned about actually playing on the varsity that year,” she said. “Once I made it, I was thinking ‘All right, when I’m a junior, things will be different because everyone is coming up from the middle school.’ And it has improved a lot.”
As usual, it starts on the grassroots level.
”This is a credit to our feeder system,” said second-year coach Sandy Mascali. “They’re doing a great job at Applegarth and with the youth leagues, and we’re getting girls who have played the game and who have had some success when they get here.”
Indeed. Applegarth has been churning out quality boys and girls teams for a while. The boys have already enjoyed the benefits, and it’s starting to pay off for the girls at the high school level. The best news about this year’s team is, there is not a senior on the roster.
In the main rotation, sharp-shooting Alexa Appignani, slick ball-handler Stacey Coyle, hard-rebounding Meghan Williams and Victoria Clayton are sophomores, and Douglas, Megan Mascali, Alexis Ranzinger and Liz Oskierko are juniors.
”These girls weren’t part of the losing that happened here before,” Mascali said. “They’re used to winning. But they know that this is a different level than middle school and they have to come out intense and play hard every game. They can’t relax.”
While the Falcons have a couple of girls who lead the scoring column most nights, Mascali said the offense is designed for everyone.
”It’s a complete team effort,” the coach said. “There aren’t a lot of egos. Everyone contributes in their own way, everyone is interested in what the team is doing.”
It’s a formula that has the Falcons enjoying themselves.
”It’s so much fun,” Douglas said. “We’re all friends on and off the court. We’re all there for each other.”
They’ve been there in the bad times.
At the rate things are going, they will be there for some good times as well.
