MANVILLE: ABIS girls provide hope for future

Lady Broncos reached finals in 12-7 season

   When the Alexander Batcho Intermediate School girls’ basketball team began its 2008-2009 campaign, head coach Dan Sferrazza was excited to have five returning players who all could step into leadership roles.
   In the first three weeks of practice the entire team pushed themselves to excel both on the court and in the classroom. They worked hard on both conditioning and skills. As the girls prepared for their opener against arch rival Bound Brook, they were confident that they’d improve on last year’s three-win season.
   ABIS easily beat Bound Brook 32-10 and followed that with an upset 29-16 win over Hillsborough. The tone for the season was set.
   Unfortunately the team suffered a setback against Middlesex and, despite a strong showing, fell by two points to Bridgewater.
   The Lady Broncos then rebounded nicely going on a 4-0 run with victories against Bound Brook, Bedminster, Valley View and Somerville. The overtime win against Somerville was the easily the most exciting victory of the year.
   After the four-game winning streak, the girls had a disappointing loss to Hillsborough. Once again, the Lady Broncos showed their determination as they won the next four in row raising their mark to 10-3.
   ”I was especially impressed with the team’s play in our 45-12 win at home against Bedminster,” Sferrazza said. “Nine players contributed to the scoring and everyone on the team saw playing time.”
   The regular season ended with an 0-3 skid, but ABIS still entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed with a 10-6 record.
   ”With three straight losses entering the playoffs, we were a bit uncertain how we’d do,” Sferrazza said.
   ABIS easily defeated North Plainfield in the quarterfinal game to earn a semifinal rematch against Somerville, against whom the team had split during the regular season. The Lady Broncos trailed 15-10 at halftime but the girls stepped up their defense in the second half, holding Somerville to four points on their way to a 29-19 win.
   In the finals, the ABIS girls challenged undefeated Middlesex. The Lady Broncos came out fast and held an 8-7 lead after the first quarter. The team’s shooting cooled off a bit and trailed 16-10 at the half. The girls came out fighting and pulled within a basket in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the team was plagued by foul trouble but kept pushing only to fall short by a 32-24 score.
   The Lady Broncos finished the season second place in their conference with an impressive 12-7 record.
   Stephanie Santostefano led the ABIS girls averaging nearly a double-double with 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Other scoring leaders included Rachel Janes (6.6), Emily Velez (4.9), Kate Ulicny (3.6) and Emily Barnes (1.6). Ulicny was also a force on the boards, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game. Other top rebounders included Barnes (4.6), Velez (3.9) and Janes (3.4). Velez and Janes led the team with 31 and 25 assists, respectively. Santostefano blocked a team-high 24 shots, while Ulicny contributed 21 rejections.
   The rest of the roster included Jackie Richter, Aereen Almonte, Allie Puza, Kim George, Wilmay Cayanong, Karen Dutan, Alli Grimm, Alyssa Jankowski, Leslie Loiza and Jessica Ramirez. Eleven of the 15 girls on the team scored points and 13 contributed rebounds.
   ”The team showed heart down to the final buzzer,” Sferrazza said. “From the first day of practice it was obvious the 2008-2009 ABIS Lady Broncos would be a special team. I’m proud of each and every member of the team and consider myself lucky to have been a part of their success.”