South Brunswick High School’s Danielle Padovano (center) battles for a rebound with Monroe’s Stephanie Johler (left) and Jena Pritzlaff during the championship game of the Brunswick Classic played Dec. 29 at Monroe Township High School. The undefeated Vikings defeated the Falcons, 46-30, to win the championship. JEFF GRANIT staff The South Brunswick High School girls basketball team appears to be firing on all cylinders as it heads into the new year .
Coach Beth Barrio’s girls are sporting a 5- 0mark and theywon the championship in the Brunswick Holiday Classic, downing Monroe, 46-30, to claim the prize. Danielle Padovano led the way with a 14-point, 12-rebound performance and point guard Danielle Roberts added another 14 points for the winners .
One key to the Lady Vikings success is their ability to get off to fast starts. In four of their five games, South Brunswick has jumped out to substantial early leads. In the other, a 51-45, win over North Brunswick in the first round of the Brunswick Classic, Barrio’s team went on a 19-9 run to start the second half.
With a 3-0 record in conference games, South Brunswick is also sitting atop the competitive Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division
“Our girls are focused on being ready to play,” the sixth-year coach said. “They’re consciously saying, ‘let’s go out hard and not waste any time finding our flow.’”
The presence of Padovano, a co-captain, up front is another key. The 6-0 junior has been dominant in posting five double-doubles in asmany games. Padovano scored 24 points and pulled in 19 rebounds in a win over Piscataway, and added 21 points and 12 caroms against North Brunswick. She is averaging 18.2 points and 14.2 rebounds and has netted eight three-pointers.
While Padovano has deservedly garnered a fair amount of attention, South Brunswick is not a one-dimensional team. Roberts runs the floor well and can score as evidenced by her 11-point average. She is second on the team with seven three-pointers. Junior guard Ashley DeGroff is a solid outside shooter and is averaging just under 10 points.
The Lady Vikings other two starters, guards Kelly O’Brien and Vanessa Perdomo epitomize Barrio’s team-first set. Both players usually guard the opponent’s top scorers, set picks, box out and generally do the little things that help win games. O’Brien, a cocaptain, who stands 5-4, grabbed 19 rebounds in her team’s win over North Brunswick.
“Our team motto is the ‘devil is in the details,’” Barrio said. “It takes a lot of little things to get a big result. That’s how our team plays. If someone is not shooting well in a particular game they focus on other ways they can help the team. Collectively they do whatever is necessary to win.”
That includes getting quality minutes off the bench. Jackie Harrison, who can play forward and guard, has been an important contributor. The 5-8 sophomore scored eight points in the win against Monroe. Guards Hailey Hendrickson andAlly Berger, a sophomore, are also key reserves, along with 6-0 sophomore center Maya Hamilton.
While Barrio is clearly happy with her team’s start, the coach said her team can’t rest on its early success.
“The girls are humble about it, they know we’re in a tough division and they have to play teams twice,” Barrio said. “We have to keep working to get better and the girls know it, too. After the Monroe game they were saying that we turned the ball over too many times. They want to work on getting better.”
The coach was expecting a tough test on Tuesday when her team was to play GMC Red Division for Woodbridge. The Lady Vikings will visit winless East Brunswick today.