Girls Basketball

January 13, 2010

Patriots keep growing, winning

Lauren Guillen Secaucus

Lauren Guillen, one of three freshmen on the roster, scored five points in the win.

Click Here for photos from Wallington at Secaucus.

By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director

SECAUCUS – With three freshmen – Lauren Guillen, Danielle Roesing and Ariana Simon – playing major minutes, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if the Patriots struggled to open the season.

After the first nine games, you’d be hard-pressed to see the growing pains in the standings.

Secaucus and their talented trio continued to excel as they improved to 8-1 after a convincing 56-39 victory over Wallington yesterday.

“It’s always nice to win while you’re playing new players,” head coach John Sterling said. “I’m not surprised because we had two good players and three returning starters to build upon and the freshmen that we’ve asked to (play) are very good athletes. So when you have good athletes surrounded by very good basketball players also, then good things are going to happen.”

While Guillen, Roesing and Simon were asked to play big minutes immediately, they were not asked to score much, if at all. That responsibility rested upon the shoulders of Andrea Innis and Shannon Waters.

But as teams started to double and triple-team Innis and Waters more, the freshmen along with sophomore Alyssa Lyngholm, have been asked to add more scoring compared to the start of the year.

“They’re confidence has just been built up and as the season is going on they’re just making more shots, getting more confident, driving to the basket more,” said Innis who added she’s been surprised at how quickly the team has meshed.

While they haven’t put up eye-popping point totals, they have taken advantage of their scoring chances. Roesing was the main beneficiary on this night as she connected on a pair of second-quarter 3-pointers en route to a career-high eight points. She also pulled down nine rebounds and had three steals.

Guillen added five points and two assists in the win. Simon, coming off her two highest scoring performances of the season, had one point, but added eight rebounds and four assists.

“At first I was a little nervous, but now I feel more comfortable out there,” Roesing said.

“It’s way easier because I’m not the only (freshman),” Simon added. “They’ll sub in for me and we’ll do a lot of the same things.”

Having Innis and Waters has also been a source of relief as well. Yesterday was no exception as the dynamic duo combined to score 17 points in a four-minute span to quickly put the game out of reach in the opening quarter.

Secaucus didn’t slow down after that streak, taking a 33-point edge into the half. The lead extended to 34 before Waters and Innis were given well-earned rests in the middle of the third quarter on.

Innis, who scored her 1,000th career point last week against Wood-Ridge, finished with a game-high 19 points along with five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Waters, who is closing in on 1,000 points herself, added 12 points, six steals and three assists.

Scoring is not the only way that Innis (21.4 points per game) and Waters (20.8 points per game) have made the transition smoother for their teammates. With no seniors on the roster, they are also the team leaders off the court as well as on.

“If I don’t know something, they’re always there helping me with what I don’t understand,” Roesing said. “In practice, if Coach (Sterling) isn’t there, they’re always there. They’re great leaders.”

“They’ve been fabulous with the younger girls,” Sterling said. “Having two captains like Andrea and Shannon who can relay the same messages that I’m trying to get across is invaluable.”

It’s easy for Waters and Innis to relate to what their younger teammates are going through. Two seasons ago they were freshmen starters on a Secaucus team which advanced all the way to the NJSIAA North 2, Group I final.

“We know exactly what they’re going through because we went through it two years ago,” Innis said. “All the situations that happened to us and everything we went through. We know that they’re in a similar situation. We’re able to help and give them advice.”

Monica Surowiec led Wallington (0-7) with nine points and Shannen Stetz added seven in defeat.

Andrea Innis Secaucus

Junior Andrea Innis led all scorers with 19 points for Secaucus.

  1 2 3 4 Total
Wallington Panthers (0-7)
5
4
10
20
39
Secaucus Patriots (8-1)
21
21
8
6
56
Wallington   Secaucus
  2s 3s 1s Pts
Shannen Stetz
2
0
3
7
Marissa Fulvi
2
0
0
4
Sara Pietrowitz
0
0
0
0
Christina Minieri
0
0
2
2
Mandy Dwarak
2
0
2
6
Jenn Fabijanczuk
2
0
0
4
Donia Abdalla
1
0
2
4
Aneta Lada
0
0
3
3
Monica Surowiec
4
0
1
9
Total
13
0
13
39
 
 
 
  2s 3s 1s Pts
Shannon Waters
5
0
2
12
Andrea Innis
6
2
1
19
Danielle Roesing
1
2
0
8
Alyssa Lyngholm
0
1
0
3
Ariana Simon
0
0
1
1
Luaren Guillen
1
1
0
5
Kendyl Voli
0
0
0
0
Brittney Mitchell
2
0
0
4
Danielle Mitchell
2
0
0
4
Leah Kantor
0
0
0
0
Amina Shahid
0
0
0
0
Total
17
6
4
56
     
Secaucus: Roesing 9 rebounds; Simon 8 rebounds, 4 assists; Waters 6 steals; Innis 5 rebounds, 5 steals; Lyngholm 4 steals. Wallington: Lada 5 rebounds; Surowiec 5 rebounds' Adalla 4 rebounds; Dwarak 4 assists; Pietrowitz 4 rebounds.