Women’s Notebook
By Stephen Zerdelian
St. Thomas Aquinas is back among the East Coast Conference elite this season thanks to a young but talented roster and a veteran head coach who is back in the region after more than a decade away. That combination has eyes firmly pointed in the Spartans direction, where the Sparkill, New York-based institution is making waves.
Head coach Bill Cleary took over prior to last season after strong stints at Colgate (2016-’21), Bloomsburg (2008-’16) and Wilmington (2003-’08) and has STAC moving in the right direction. Taking over following the departure of long-time head coach Kim Lusk (thirteen highly successful years at the helm which yielded two NCAA bids, three ECC regular season titles and the 2018 ECC playoff crown), Cleary hit the ground running (14 wins in 2021-‘22) and hasn’t looked back.
“Our progress is where we thought it would be,” he said recently. “We anticipated an up and down beginning. We have a combination of young/new players, returners learning new positions and roles and we had to overcome a bit of the injury bug in the beginning. Players are returning from injury, getting reacclimated and working into the rotation in the best possible way right now.”
“We challenged ourselves this year with our schedule, but I think that will help us when we get to conference play. Our non-conference schedule last season helped us with ECC play and we hope it will translate the same way this year. We are making strides and our goal is to be better than we were yesterday,” he added.
STAC stands 9-4 with four and three-game winning streaks already peppering the slate, and with wins over AIC, Dominican and Daemen among the highlights. They’ve dropped their last two outings, though, both at home (to Bridgeport and Southern New Hampshire) but share the ECC lead with an early 3-1 ledger.
“I believe we are making the mistakes that young, inexperienced teams make, to be honest,” admitted Cleary. “We need to be disciplined and stay "in the now" better. Young teams generally pick and choose when to play because in high school you can and basically get away with it. At our level, you will be exposed, and I think we have been in the games we have lost. We need to follow the scouting report all the way through as well. Again, young teams think they can get away with this, but you only end up being exposed. I think we need to believe we are good as well. Our players are always in awe of the teams we are playing but never with themselves. We need to understand we are good, too!”
The Spartans have only two seniors on the roster, led by 2nd team ECC guard Alexis Huertas (5-6) and Melissa Alifano (6-0). 2022 ECC Rookie of the Year (also a 2nd team all-league pick) Sarah Ericson (5-7; 13.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.5 apg) has been terrific this season, as has been her classmate, 6-0 Erin Leary (15.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg). Other key parts of the STAC rotation are Karolina Jaruseviciute (6-0 junior; 8.5 ppg, 6 rpg), Angelique Holguin (6-1 junior; 6.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Kaitlyn Watrobski (5-7 junior) and 5-7 freshman Trinity Cheatom. Adding depth are Julia Reggio (5-9 junior) and Megan Fedor (5-11 freshman), giving Cleary a solid and dependable rotation. Nonetheless, he tends to think about the whole as opposed to the individual.
“I usually don’t single out one player - we are a team and I truly believe each player has contributed valuable minutes for us at various stages of the season,” he stressed. “Everyone is learning their worth and value, which they all bring. There are no "defined" roles per se, but more of what we expect each player to bring.”
Every season brings surprises, even for an experienced coach like Cleary.
“I was surprised how we responded to the injury bug. This speaks to our "next person up" mentality,” he mused. “We talk about how it does not matter who is in the locker room or who is suited up - if we play (the way we want to), we will give ourselves a shot to win every night. Hopefully we will continue to grow and as we get our players back, we can gel and come together to become the team we know we can be.”
“I believe our depth is our strength,” he continued. “We feel we can play any of our players and they can do what we need them to do. We have an analogy we use... we are baking a cake in our program. Each player brings a certain value, characteristic or ingredient that makes our cake unique. Each character trait or ingredient is just as important as the others and without one of them, we do not have a cake or our team. As mentioned before, our youth and inexperience are our Achilles heel now, but I do see that changing as the season progresses.”
The path to ECC and potentially regional success is a long and winding one and having been through it in this region and the Atlantic with Bloomsburg, Cleary knows how daunting it can be.
“The ECC and the East region parallel each other in that there are a few teams that can win our league and I truly believe the same with the region,” he insists. “Daemen has shown how strong our league has been and has represented our league in a first-class manner. The ECC has some young teams that will continue to get better and make our league tougher as we grow with experience. Regarding the region, we have some very good coaches and very good teams, so you must be ready any given night. It is a great region, and I am excited to be a part of it.”
While the cake bakes, the Spartans may not quite be ready to rule the roost in the ECC and/or the region yet, thanks to youth and injury but they will likely have a major say in what does eventually transpire. And when they do mature, they could easily be at the forefront of the league and regional conversation.
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As the holidays rolled through and the calendar flipped, there were some vital games in the region, including conference and non-league contests. These will shape the profile of the region as we delve into the heart of the league seasons.
The first port of call must be the New Year’s Eve game between Southern New Hampshire and Assumption on Manchester, where the Penmen handed the Greyhounds their first loss of the season. Adriana Timberlake (15 points) and Ariana Koivisto (11 points, 11 boards) sparked SNHU to the victory, in the process helping to create a three-way tie atop the NE10 (with Bentley). SNHU held the Hounds to 25% shooting and built a 49-28 lead after three frames to prevail and ensure no regional team entered 2023 unbeaten.
Timberlake netted 25 points in a 71-65 win at St. Thomas Aquinas two days earlier, helping the Penmen overcome an 0-11 start from the field. In a season of great balance and parity, Timberlake has to be a candidate for NE10 Player of the Year, especially if Southern New Hampshire can stay among the league leaders.
Jefferson kept their train rolling with a 71-66 CACC win at Georgian Court on the 29th, led by Morgan Robinson. Her stat lines can be freaky but decisive, as shown in this game – 35 minutes, 1-4 FG, 4 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Incidentally, both teams shot 1-14 from three-point land in this one.
Two days later Haley Meinel scored a career-high 31 points for Jefferson, including the 1,000th of her career, as the Rams waxed Felician, 90-73. Cassie Murphy (20 points, 9-11 FG) and Sam Yencha (10 points, 12 boards) also played well for the Rams, who shot over 60% from the field. Jefferson has won seven in a row but can’t shake a local rival in what looks like a serious CACC South race.
That would be Holy Family, who jumped on Caldwell on the 31st with a 22-4 first quarter and never looked back. The Tigers showed their depth in this one, with two reserves (Jenn Kokolus with 17 points and Jessica Riepe with 13 points) fronting four double digit scorers. HFU also ruled the glass, 57-31.
Two days earlier the Tigers slipped past another Philadelphia outfit, Chestnut Hill, 57-53, with a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter staking them to a lead they held onto. Holy Family held CHC to 27% from the field and dominated the paint (30-10) and increasingly look like a team that will be in the NCAA tournament discussion.
The CACC North remains tightly packed, with Dominican and Post at the head of the class. The Chargers beat Caldwell, 78-49, thanks to a 46%-21% shooting differential on the 29th while the Eagles rode a big game from Sha’Raya Haines (26 points, 8 boards) to repel a gritty Georgian Court effort, 64-60. Savawn Hughes led the Lions with 24 points but a 21-12 fourth period from Post (including a 14-2 spree) was enough to tip the balance.
Dominican’s first league loss was an 81-75 setback at Goldey-Beacom on the 31st, with the Lightning racking up a 68-46 edge after three quarters and hanging on to prevail. Alexis Harrison (20 points in 18 minutes; 9-11 FG) and Alanna Sparks (18 points, 11 caroms) were excellent for GBC in the win, as they moved into 3rd place in the CACC South.
Bridgeport and Felician are on the heels of the CACC North leaders with the Purple Knights recoding wins over Alliance and Wilmington. Stephanie McBride collected 18 points and 18 boards in the victory over the Warriors while Briana Lee (22 points, 18 rebounds, 5 steals) spearheaded the Golden Falcons to a 57-54 decision over Bloomfield. Courtney Logan made the big shot for Felician, though, caning a game-winning three-pointer with 21 ticks on the clock.
Elsewhere in the NE10, Bentley claimed a share of the league lead with an 86-50 win over Franklin Pierce on New Year’s Day, blowing the game open in the second half (46-15). The Falcons shot 54% overall and made 11-20 from three-point land, with Kari Brekke (20 points, 6-8 3FG) leading the parade.
Le Moyne received 21 points from Sydney Lusher (5-11 3FG) to knock off New Haven, 57-44, on the 31st. The rookies Lusher leads the region in minutes played, if you didn't already know... The Dolphins held the Chargers to single digit point totals in each of the first three periods on the way to the win… Southern Connecticut got 23 points and 11 rebounds from Zoe Amalbert to drop AIC, 58-46. The Owls dominated the glass (55-33) and had four players reach double digits in rebounds to help the cause… Saint Anselm beat St. Michael’s, 57-49, in Vermont and Pace received solid games from Lauren Hackett (17 points, 8 boards) and Katumina Mansaray (16 points, 8 rebounds) to shade the College of Saint Rose, 55-45. The Setters have won four in a row after a 1-7 start.
One other non-league game of note saw the College of Staten Island defeat Adelphi, 68-60, with four double figure scorers led by Jenalysa Alarcon (16 points, 9 rebounds). The game featured 20 ties and 28 lead changes and was settled by an 8-0 Dolphins run to snap a 56-all tie in the final five minutes.
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The folly of Division 2 teams playing Division 1 opponents and having the game count for the D1 team but be classed as an exhibition for the D2 team continued this week. Post traveled to Fordham on the 28th and hung in for a half (36-27) before the Rams pulled away to win, 85-54. The Eagles shot just 29% in the game while the hosts hit 52% of their attempts. Mercy did the same at Sacred Heart on the 31st, losing 81-44, despite 15 points and 6 boards from Katie Wall. Give Queens credit for playing a game that counted for both teams on the 29th, as they pushed Stonehill in an 82-71 defeat. Khadija Demry tied her career-best with 24 points and Jennah DeGout added 16 points for the Knights, who were never out of the game against the newly classified Division I Skyhawks.
I have railed about this practice before (https://www.d2easthoops.org/women/features/Women-s_Notebook/Women-s_Notebook_-_Jefferson_off_to_fast_start_and_other_notes) and have yet to get an answer or understand why it is allowed. If it is s game for one team, it should be for both. Splitting the difference is inane. If anyone has an answer as to why this is allowed, I’d honestly like to know.
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That’s it for now - until next time, enjoy the games!