Billy Moran Tip Off Classic Girls Tournament

Starting point

Lady Bulldogs get season-opening win over Family School

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Pre-season scrimmages can only tell you so much about a team. For Sullivan West, following its dynamic play against Class AA Valley Central, things were looking bright for the start of the 2007-08 campaign.

But without post presence Rachel Houghtaling in the lineup in the season-opener against The Family School in the Billy Moran Tip Off Tournament on December 4, Sullivan West appeared to have lost much of its preseason polish.

Houghtaling had been in a car accident two days prior, and although willing to play, she was wisely told to sit this one out by her coach Ron Bernhardt, who didn’t want to risk further injury to his valuable center.

“We’re going to have to develop versatility and depth,” said Bernhardt, following his team’s 54-14 win over the Lady Falcons. Despite having five returning players from last year’s team that made it to the Class B semifinals before being ousted by Highland, having to play a number of new people and rotate his leading scorer, Sarah Lander, to forward will be just a few of the wrinkles Bernhardt will have to iron out quickly.

The game followed the tournament opener that saw S.S. Seward, fresh off its state soccer championship, easily handle Port Jervis 56-34, fueled by the 32 points and countless rebounds of center Kathleen Folkl. A number of Lady Spartans and their coach Joe DiMattina made the rapid transition from the soccer pitch to the hardwood.

The tournament had been delayed a day due to inclement weather, and although the Lady Spartans stayed on to watch Sullivan West rush out to a 20-0 lead over the Lady Falcons, the tournament championship game between the Lady Dawgs and Lady Spartans won’t be played until February 9.

Seward is already 4-0 this season, and Coach of the Year DiMattina and his group of veterans would love to get back to the state basketball finals, where they lost a last-second 52-51 heartbreaker a year ago to Section 10’s Hammond.

But there is no value in looking ahead. It’s a long season, and you can only play one game at a time.

Sullivan West harried The Family School with trapping defense and ball pressure that forced 12 first-half turnovers. That total would burgeon to 18 by night’s end.

Sullivan West held the Lady Falcons scoreless for the first 11½ minutes. They led 12-0 at the end of the first quarter and held a 20-0 margin as the first half wound down.

A free throw by Yocaira O’Connor finally broke the Falcons’ drought, and a subsequent basket and a free throw from Betty Weaver gave Family four points to Sullivan West’s 20 heading into the break. Despite its lead, Sullivan West wasn’t firing on all cylinders. They had 10 turnovers in the first half, would have 16 by night’s end and had managed to score just eight points in the second quarter.

Coach Clarence Williams’ Family Falcons features four returning players from last year’s team that went 14-6 and lost to Livingston Manor in the Class D Section Nine quarterfinals. But following this one-sided outing, Williams readily admitted that his girls will need a lot of work. This game would serve as a wake-up call, and the Lady Falcons played much better in their subsequent 48-47 victory over Fallsburg the next night. While team leader Mary Schmeider had only five points against Sullivan West, she would post 21 against the Lady Comets.

Sullivan West outscored Family 16-7 in the third quarter, fueled by nine points from leading scorer Katrina Graby, who would net 15 by game’s end. Lindsey Murphy added seven of her eventual 11 points in the fourth quarter, as Bernhardt freely subbed in his entire team, seeking to get a look at each player in a game situation.

The Lady Falcons had only three points in the final frame. Weaver’s six points led the Lady Falcons.

“We’ll come around,” said Williams. “I have a lot of confidence in the girls. Maybe they needed a game like this to realize that this is not the way we want to play.”

Despite the win, Bernhardt expressed his concerns. “We have a lot of people learning,” he said, saving most of his insights for his team, rather than the media and his looming opponents.

Sullivan West (1-0) will take to the road on December 12 and 14 in non-league frays against Class C Chester and Class A nemesis Cornwall.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of pictures from the Billy Moran opening night.