By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Amanda Orlak wasn’t letting anything stop her from a first holiday tournament championship.
The Robbinsville High School senior overcame a sprained ankle that cost her the fourth quarter of the opener to record a second double-double to help propel the Raven girls basketball team to a 52-44 win over South Hunterdon in the Over the River Classic in Lambertville last Wednesday.
”With the team we have this year, I felt like we had the chance to win our first tournament and I didn’t want to miss this,” Orlak said. “Winning this meant everything to me.”
Taylor Mayweather was named Most Valuable Player after pouring in 25 points to lead the Ravens, and Orlak came back from the ankle injury to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the balanced Robbinsville effort. Allison Guido delivered 15 points, Julia Kardos had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Orlak had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the 57-51 win over Moravian (Pa.) in the tournament opener.
”I was happy with the way we played,” said Ravens head coach Chris Hoffman after improving to 3-2 with their third straight win. “I think the girls were eager to play in the tournament and show some people that they’re a little better than most people think. They came out aggressive and played hard. That’s all I can ask of them. It was nice. It was a different player leading the way in both games.”
New Egypt lost in the championship game of its own Warrior Classic, 42-26, to Northern Burlington. Julie Ciak led the Warriors with 12 points. In the opening round, the Warriors topped Keyport, 34-21, as Ciak scored 12 points.
Allentown lost to Pinelands, 36-33, in the championship game of the Princeton Day School Invitational. Dana Sensi led the Redbirds with 10 points. In the opening round, the Redbirds topped PDS, 51-38, as Karlee Corvasce led the way with 22 points. Leah Ogrodnik had 17 points in the win.
Robbinsville had opened the season with back-to-back losses to Trenton and West Windsor-Plainsboro South before topping Hightstown and sweeping the tournament title.
”I know it boosted my confidence and I think it will for the rest of the team,” Orlak said. “With the plays Coach is designing for us, we do have a chance.”
Orlak sees more potential in this year’s Ravens roster than ever before. Robbinsville has surrounded her, Mayweather and Guido with new starters Kardos and Kaitlyn Herbert, the freshman who made her starting debut in the tournament and contributed five points, including a three-pointer in the title game.
”Honestly, the keys are just shooting and we have to connect as a team and look for the open players on the court,” Orlak said. “I feel like with this team, we practiced so hard in the preseason and offseason, everyone is capable of shooting, rebounding or bringing up the ball. That’s different from past teams.”
The Ravens don’t have to depend anymore on just Mayweather, though she still proved she can have big nights when she needs to, like in the title game.
”Taylor played great,” Hoffman said. “We kind of expect her to do that night in and night out. I don’t think she gets enough credit in Mercer County for how good a player she is and can be. For us to be successful, we need her to have games like that all the time.”
The Ravens also need Orlak on the court. Moravian chipped away at a big Robbinsville lead with an 18-9 fourth quarter when Orlak was out after rolling her ankle.
”Walking out that night, I couldn’t move it at all,” she said. “That morning, I iced it and wrapped it. I could feel it, but not that much.”
It didn’t show at all in the way she began the title game. The only thing that showed was Orlak’s determination to win.
”She told me, there’s no way I’m missing that final,” Hoffman said. “Robbinsville hasn’t been in final. She came out in the final game and had 14 points in the first quarter. Nobody was stopping her. She was determined to get this school something they’ve never had.”
The holiday tournament win is a stepping stone for a team that is still maturing under Hoffman, who is in his first season at the Ravens helm.
”I think it helped us,” Hoffman said. “The kids still need to learn how to win and put teams away. We were up 15 against Moravian. They were coming down the court and I was trying to get them to hold the ball, and tell them we don’t need to score but they haven’t been in that situation a lot. Besides Taylor and Amanda, Allison Guido has taken that lead in those spots. She had 15 that game. Julia Kardos had 11 points and 11 rebounds in that first game. It’s good to get contributions from everyone.”
Said Orlak: “Coach Hoffman adapted well to our team. He motivates me and my team to want to win. He knows a lot about basketball and puts us in the right spots. I feel like our team really wants to win and he makes the right decisions.”
The Ravens are looking to continue to build on their strong start. They are playing like a more confident team as they open 2012 after already securing a championship win.
”We’re 3-2 now,” Orlak said. “Winning this tournament and beating the teams ranked higher than us that were supposed to win, showed us and our opponents we’re a different team.”

