Jumping into Winter Season; BB Hopes, Dreams
GROTON-DUNSTABLE GIRLS BASKETBALL
Head Coach: Mark Hennelly (12th) Record Last year: 8-12, 5-5 Mid-Land B
Assistant coaches: Lisa LaPierre, Jon Conlon
Key Losses: Rachel McCarron, Leanne Mueller, Riley Rogers, Cate Cullen, Jamie Park.
Captains: Celina Antonellis, Lindsay Werner
Starters:
Celina Antonellis (12): point guard, outstanding leader, floor general, will set offense, solid gritty defender, can penetrate and score driving the lane.
Lindsay Werner (11): two-guard, gifted scorer, can create her own shot, tenacious defender who will be tough for opposition guards.
Hanna Van Pelt (9): forward/center; only a freshman, plays like junior/senior. Has picked up system quickly, three-point range, very coachable.
Jenna Plausse (10): forward/center, pleasant surprise, solid aggressive player, confident scorer.
Melyssa Langell (11): big improvement, excellent defender, versatile player.
Alex Pray (11): impressive post moves, aggressive rebounder, plays with confidence.
Langell and Prey will get minutes at center depending on match-ups.
First off Bench:
Kim Contonio (12): excellent work ethic, improved player. Val Lutkevich (10): gritty, tenacious defender, good mid-range shooter, goes to basket aggressively, worker!
Nicole Moody (10): improved scorer, tough defender; Kara Jussaume (10): good ball handling skills, intense player, improved offensively; Nicki Wilkinson (11): athletic, defensive stopper; Nicole Georges (11): hardworking, outstanding, determined player, positive attitude.
Outlook: "By February, hoping our improvement will allow us to compete with the Nashobas, Westboroughs, etc," said coach Hennelly.
Strength: Leadership; Antonellis/Werner guard play; understanding team concept; scrappy players.
Concern: The team is young, average height, challenging schedule.
Goal: Win 10 games (or more); make post-season; play with the big-boys in February.
Season opener @ Tyngsborough High School.12/13, 5 p.m.
First home game: North Middlesex @GD, 12/16; first round of Pete Trainor Tournament 7 p.m.
GROTON-DUNSTABLE BOYS BASKETBALL
Head Coach: Greg Gillette (1st @ Groton-Dunstable), Littleton head coach (4 years)
Assistant coaches: JV - Jody Young, Freshmen - Colin Murphy, volunteer Todd Lynch
Key Losses: Charles Hill, Coleman Hill, Matt Conlin, Phil Dubay, Dan Roper
Starters:
Corey Romich (10): shooting guard, complete player, versatile, scorer, on court leader, good rebounder.
Scotty Csaplar (12): center, tough inside presence, three-point range, determined rebounder.
Bobby Flanagan (12): forward,well-prepared, hard working athlete, continued effort has paid off, good scorer, valuable player.
Matt Werner (12): guard, good skill set, positive attitude, reliable scorer.
Matt Tornaritis (11): guard, good court vision, tenacious defender, can penetrate and finish, good range.
First off Bench: Jack Allen: forward, versatile, nose for the ball, can score, good basketball IQ, solid work ethic. Parker Blodgett (11): forward, good defender, rebounder; physically strong player who can finish. Drew Moore (11): guard, can score, excellent defender/scorer, athletic.
Players pushing for time:
Eric Parson (12), forward, steady, physical player, drives the lane consistently and can finish. Shane Dawson (10), small forward, tough rebounder/defender, good team player.
Gavin Keough (9): forward, talented athlete with excellent attitude. Cedric Wirta (11): forward/center, solid high post player. Ronnie Peck (11): forward, solid, tough defender, understands the game, positive leader. Jack Wadden (10): guard; pleasant surprise! consistent scorer, versatile, coachable, excellent work ethic.
Goals: Play in the post-season; be invited to play in prestigious Clark Tournament.
Concern: Schedule, no easy games in Midland B!
"I graduated from Groton-Dunstable 20 years ago. You dream about coaching basketball but when it is at your own school, it is really exciting," shared Gillette. "This is a special group of young men and I want them to succeed on the court, in the classroom and in their personnel lives," he concluded.
Season opener @ Tyngsborough High School.12/13, 7 p.m.
