Lady Knights stick with last year’s momentum
February 28, 2020
The West Essex girls basketball team did a great job of carrying their success from last season into the 2019-2020 season with many notable accomplishments.
The girls finished the regular season with a 14-10 record including an Essex County Tournament quarterfinal appearance, as well as earning the No. 8 seed in the Group III, Section I tournament.
Seniors Jess Coia, Bria Anderson, Grace Weiss, Dana Stelter, Chloe Doolen and Laurel Israel will be leaving behind a winning legacy that the team will hopefully carry on for years to come. Coach Maria Cirello said all six of her seniors have made an undeniable impact this year.
“We lost a lot of great seniors last year, but this year we have a mix of vocal leaders, players who lead by example and those who really give it their heart and soul everyday,” Cirello said. “With that being said, the girls have learned that it is important to compete every single day, not just in the games but also in practice so we can prepare for the games.”
Along with the great leadership of the seniors, freshman Olivia Weiss and sophomore Halle Aschenbach are two of the highest scorers on the team. Cirello’s new offensive set allowed for these two underclassmen to take over the game.
“This year we have typically played with four guards and 1 forward where in past years we played with a double post,” Cirello said. “Being versatile in this way has allowed us to create match up difficulties for many of our opponents.”
Aside from all of the great seniors that have been providing a great example, Weiss and Aschenbach have proved they are as strong of a duo as there is. The duo of Weiss and Aschenbach have made major contributions to the team this season and have shown that they will be able to lead the team for the next few years.
“I think we are a very strong duo and are able to compete with other teams.” Weiss said. “Our competition has been very challenging and we have faced hard situations but I am very excited about the future.”
The girls rounded out the season on Feb. 27 with an away game at Wayne Valley and will be playing in the first round of the state tournament against Indian Hills.
