Brick Township High School girls basketball player Lauren McElroy isn’t looking back to last season as she prepares for Friday’s opener at home against Toms River North.
And the 5-foot, 8-inch senior forward hopes her team can continue the success she enjoyed during soccer season as the goalie.
“I just hope we can carry it over to basketball,” McElroy said. Her soccer team reached the NJSIAA Group III South semifinals where they lost at Highland on a goal with two minutes left.
“That season was great for my senior year, but I was disappointed that it was the last game,” McElroy said. “It was heartbreaking. We were having so much fun. We wanted to keep going.”
But it might be tough to match the soccer team’s most successful season in about a dozen years because McElroy and Shaniece Hardy, a junior guard, are the only returning starters. The team had one of its best wins when it got its second victory of last season toward the end of the schedule over Brick Memorial, which had reached the Group IV Central semifinals in the state tournament.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said a lowkeyed coach Kristi McCullough, who is in her second season. “We lost Vicki DeTata and Victoria Fanelli [both graduated and are playing at Brookdale Community College]. That’s 30 points a game, half of our offense.”
Also gone is Kat Connelly to the University of Philadelphia, who provided leadership and stability on offense with her poise at point guard.
Without those two go-to players, McCullough said the team is “changing on offense and on defense. We’re looking for somebody to step up.”
Nikki Binetti, a 5-10 senior who left the program late in the season while playing on the junior varsity, showed her skill during the volleyball season. She could create some points while helping ease the pressure under the boards for McElroy.
“I have to produce points,” McElroy said.
And her late start coming off soccer has not slowed her down.
“I go from season to season,” she said. “Soccer gets me ready for basketball and basketball gets me ready for soccer. This year, I should be in better shape and stronger. I had mono (mononucleosis) last year and did not know it at first but found out later. I hope I can step up really big this year.”
The other two starters are senior guard Larissa Forese and junior forward Chelsea Florczak, another soccer player who stands at 5-9. McCullough didn’t name any other players who may fit into the rotation, as questionable depth could lead to problems when the team gets into foul trouble.
“We’re still looking for our offense to run the ball and to be a total team effort,” Mc- Cullough said. “We have a lot of quick people.”
The coach can only hope that quickness opens up good scoring opportunities.