Justin Feil

By: centraljersey.com
Kristina Vangeli understands just how some of the Hillsborough High School girls basketball team’s first-year players feel.
Vangeli still remembers how tough it was in her first varsity year when she was a freshman.
"I know going out there, you’re so nervous," said Vangeli, now a junior with the Raiders. "You’re a freshman, you don’t want to mess up for the team. As you get older, you definitely get over that. "Every year, it gets better. It’s not like it just comes."
Vangeli helped the young Raiders take a big step forward as they won on the road in overtime at Immaculata, 52-49, last Thursday. Out for large parts of the game with foul trouble, Vangeli returned in the fourth quarter and overtime to aid the Hillsborough efforts.
"We definitely needed it for our confidence," said Vangeli, who finished with 18 points. "We lost the last couple."
Hillsborough had fallen in the championship of their holiday tournament to finish off 2010, then opened 2011 with a 58-41 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan. They bounced back behind a big team effort to knock off Immaculata on the road.
"It was a great win because we lost to Bridgewater on Tuesday and it was nice to have that win to kind of get us going after the break and everything," said Barrie Foley, who has acted as head coach the last two games while Charlie Davis recovers from surgery. "It’s against Immaculata, which is always big rival. It’s nice to win and win in their gym. It was exciting. It was nice to be able to pull that out at the end."
Getting Vangeli back on the court certainly helped. The team’s leading scorer at 14.7 points was saddled with foul trouble that severely limited her playing time in the first half. And when she picked up her third foul in the second quarter, Foley was forced to sit her for the entire third quarter. It’s only the second time that Vangeli has been hampered by fouls this season.
"I got in foul trouble early," she said. "It was frustrating sitting there. I went in for a minute and I got my third. I sat the third quarter, then the fourth quarter I got my fourth. I just wanted to get in and do good." The development of the Raiders showed when they did not collapse without one of their most experienced players. It was another big step for HHS.
"We have pretty much three players that played on varsity last year," Foley said. "The rest of the players were on JV last year. I think they are progressing. The Bridgewater game, we were only down six or seven points in the second quarter. In the second half, they opened it up. I think we’re doing well for the amount of experience we have."
The experience of winning a close game in which the Raiders faced some adversity can only help.
Said Vangeli: "During the whole game, I knew we could do it. It was so close. I knew it was there. At the end, we had to just come out there and win it."
Alexis Pezza added 10 points and Jacki Schwankert finished with eight points. Alyssa Giarrusso, Stephanie LaManna and Marissa Traina combined for another 16 points.
"I feel like that game everyone came together," Vangeli said. "Everyone did really well."
Vangeli has been boosting the Raiders’ chances with her play this season. This year, her role has increased on the off the court.
"I think that this year, as a junior, I’m the one giving advice instead of listening to the older girls," Vangeli said.
In some situations, she finds herself giving the same advice that she got from former Raider teammates that have since graduated. In other cases, she relies on what she learned through her first two varsity seasons. Always, she tries to be positive and encouraging.
"The thing I took most was the hard work, it pays off," Vangeli said. "If you work hard in practice, it’ll pay off in the game. You have to learn to work together with your teammates."
Said Foley: "She was on varsity freshman year and she was a little timid her freshman and sophomore year. She’s really stepped up to be a leader and show what she’s got."
The Raiders were happy to see Vangeli return to the court for the critical part of the game. Her experience was useful in the high-pressure finish, as was the threat she brings to the floor just with her presence.
"In overtime, I think Kristina made a big difference," Foley said. "She didn’t play most of the game. She came in and played the fourth quarter and overtime. She did make a big difference. It changed how they were playing. Alexis Pezza hit a couple in the fourth quarter. That helped how they were playing defense too.
"It was really good for the rest of the girls to see they could stick with any team even if she’s not on the floor," she added. "She’s a powerhouse when she’s on the floor. For everyone else to help in the middle and to guard the three-point shooters on the outside too, it was nice to see. A lot of them are sophomores and they’re experiencing what they have to."
The Raiders had to find some new sources of offense without her on the court. Vangeli has seen her scoring increase in her third year, and could be feeling the pressure to provide a lot of offense for the Raiders, but hasn’t felt any strain from the team.
"I think it’s more like myself," she said. "I want to do good for our team. I push myself to score as much as I can every game."
Vangeli’s presence does take some pressure off the younger Raider players. As they gain experience, they will start to feel as comfortable as she does.
"We still a lot to work on," Vangeli said. "I think we’ve improved a lot from our first scrimmage. We’ve come a long way."