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MANVILLE: Girls look to brighter basketball future

Evanylo, Mortensen provide solid punch

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   When the Manville High girls played basketball with confidence, they looked good on the court and were fun to watch. Unfortunately, the team didn’t put together enough such spurts to win more than one game.
   Most of the time during their 1-18 season, the Lady Mustangs struggled to break pressure and score points. They had flashes of brilliance even in some of their losses, like the 7-2 start against Bound Brook and the run of 14 straight points at Roselle Park. But then there were those two-point quarters and games with 30 turnovers that produced many lopsided losses.
   When things were going well, like in the team’s 49-29 home victory over Sussex Tech, the Lady Mustangs looked like a team capable of winning many more games. They ran the floor, scored in transition, hit 15-foot jumpers and stopped their opponents from scoring.
   Games like that made second-year head coach Larissa Donis-Jeppson wonder why the MHS girls couldn’t play that way against other beatable foes. The Lady Mustangs avenged a loss from 11 days prior and squashed Sussex Tech by 20 points.
   Later in the season, the team was eager to avenge another loss vs. rival Bound Brook. Manville led after one quarter and was tied at the half in the January meeting but hit its low point of the season in a 60-16 loss.
   ”A lot of it is confidence,” Donis-Jeppson said. “The girls could have won more. When you’re losing so much, it’s tough. We spent a lot of time convincing them they could compete. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing. You can still dribble, pass, shoot and make moves.”
   Some opponents simply were out of Manville’s league. Teams like Mount St. Mary, Somerville and North Warren put a hurting on their fair share of schools.
   ”We played hard, but sometimes we couldn’t be in the game,” Donis-Jeppson said. “We played some good teams and it was difficult to compete with them.”
   The bigger, quicker teams applied pressure and took Manville out of games before the end of the first half. The MHS girls were able to handle pressure occasionally but still committed too many turnovers.
   ”We would break a press three times and all of a sudden the fourth time we couldn’t,” Donis-Jeppson said. “It was the same press.”
   The inability to score on a consistent basis also hurt the team. Juniors Amy Evanylo and Dana Mortensen had some big games but also struggled on other nights. There were many games in which the team didn’t reach 20 points.
   ”We weren’t able to hit shots,” Donis-Jeppson said. “I tried to put different people on the court to see if someone could put the ball in the basket.”
   The good news for Manville is that most of this year’s varsity squad is eligible to return next season. Evanylo and Mortensen emerged as a solid inside-outside punch this year and could be expected to average double figures as seniors. Evanylo led MHS in scoring (8.6 points per game), rebounding (6.0 per game) and blocked shots (2.0 per game). Mortensen was second in scoring with a 7.0 average and also contributed two assists and two steals per outing as the team’s point guard.
   ”I’m really looking forward to next season with them,” Donis-Jeppson said. “There will be pressure on them coming back as the top two scorers. We need to work hard and have a summer program again.”
   Donis-Jeppson said senior Kim Jones will be missed.
   ”She didn’t score a lot, but she’s a presence out there,” the coach said.
   While Amanda Furka, Rebecca Burke and Jones will graduate, the rest will return. Donis-Jeppson was impressed by the late contributions of sophomore Cara Alpaugh, who was elevated from jayvee to varsity status. Alpaugh had a 10-point game down the stretch.
   Other players who made an impact this year were sophomore power forward Kate Pornovets (5.4 points, 5.0 rebounds), sophomore guard Christine Pohl and sophomore guard Tara Covert. Junior Erin Lipot and sophomores Lindsay Zaccardi and Anna Isachenko are also eligible to return.
   The Lady Mustangs are looking ahead to brighter days in the future after two straight tough seasons. They’ve won three games the past two years, all against Sussex Tech. Next year, the MHS girls will try to pick up their first Skyland Conference victory.
   ”It could have happened against Bound Brook,” Donis-Jeppson said. “There were other teams we could have done well against. I didn’t think that would be the only team we’d beat.”