Michael Beecher, Staff Writer
The women’s basketball team finished off February with a record of two wins and three losses and a 15-9 record overall, clinching a sixth seed playoff berth. Basketball is a game of rebounds and second chances. Sometimes the opponent will go on scoring runs and it’s the team’s job to respond.
That seemed to be the theme of the Bulldog’s season. Throughout the season, the team would enjoy multiple winning streaks that would be followed by losing streaks. After starting January with four consecutive wins, the Bulldogs would endure a four-game skid that carried into February.
The team rallied, however, to finish off their season with two wins, including a dominant final game against Rowan College Of South Jersey- Gloucester, which they won 65-58. Liana Martinez was pivotal in the win, putting up 24 points while Nalya Hill scored 20 points and controlled the game with 21 rebounds, nine of which were offensive rebounds. The team performed well the entire game and stamped their performance with a 22 point fourth quarter.
Offensive rebounds provided the team with multiple second chances in more than just their final game. In their most dominant game, a 79-25 win over Rockland Community. The team posted 16 offensive rebounds. Defensive rebounds are essential to stopping opponents from recovering their missed opportunities. Luckily, the Bulldogs are efficient, to say the least. They had 23 rebounds in their final game and in the game against Rockland, they posted 43. As a result, their defensive rebounds have been a huge contribution to their average of 40 rebounds a game.
There’s more to basketball than rebounding though; Coach Tracy Green puts an emphasis on teamwork and chemistry. “One of the keys to our success is teamwork. The players we have right now work very well with each other,” said Coach Green. The statistics support Green’s comment. Liana Martinez had 104 assists throughout the season, followed by freshman Caitlyn Conlon’s 53 assists.
Those efforts allow space and movement off the ball for other players such as Nalya Hill, who averaged 17 points a game, to score. Sometimes, strengths can become weaknesses if they aren’t executed right. In a tough loss to Passaic Community, the team was plagued by turnovers and was not able to rebound as much as usual.
Despite minor inconsistencies and losing streaks scattered throughout the season, the team still earned 6th seed in the Region XIX bracket, where they lost to No. 3 seed, Community College of Philadelphia. The game started off close but the Bulldogs tapered off, scoring only 7 points in the second and third quarters. Despite a 16 point fourth quarter, the Bulldog’s fell short and lost 57-41.
Even though the team’s playoff run ended, they still had an impressive season. Considering they only had six players on the roster while other teams had more than double the number of players on the roster, the Bulldogs still had impressive wins in games where they were outnumbered.
Almost every losing streak was followed by a winning streak. Winning is difficult but especially when most of the players have to play the majority of each game with limited rest. All in all, the team performed well and were even dominant in some games. They reached the playoffs and refused to let their season end until the very last buzzer.
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