The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Panther Girls Basketball – Exceeding Expectations

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by Bea Peterson
“We exceeded the expectations of many people,” said HFCS girls basketball coach Eamonn DeGraaf. “But we fell one game short of our goal of .500.” The girls team, which didn’t have a single victory last year, ended the season 9-11, 4-9 in league play. “We set a goal of one game at a time. We went a month without a win, but the girls didn’t quit. Then we had a big win over Argyle,” DeGraaf said. In the first half of the season, he said, they were 1-6 in league play. They were 4-3 the second half.
The Panthers made it through the first round of the WASAREN League Sectionals defeating Greenwich, but they came up against a wall in number one seed Maple Hill last Saturday. “The first quarter was tough, but even I couldn’t believe we only scored five in the first half,” said DeGraaf. “Maple Hill had one 6’2″ player, and we just couldn’t get around her.” The final score was 44-22 Maple Hill.
DeGraaf said he will miss his seniors next season. “They were a power house, hard workers; [Alexis] Hagadorn and [Samantha] Skott were high scorers, and [Alyssa] Schneider had all the team spirit, always smiling and encouraging her teammates.”
He feels he has a good start for next year’s team with Frankie Pearson and  Nicole Marmillo. Pearson had 210 points for the season, and Marmillo had 191, hitting the hoop seventy percent of the time. Elizabeth Babson and Carsen Williams are good, too. He admits his players are small (5’1″ to 5’5”), but they are not afraid, and they’re very good.
“Basketball is my favorite sport,” said DeGraaf. He played for Adirondack High and coached youth basketball in high school and college. He coached HF modified for one year.
He admits it is hard to compete with the other girls sports at the school. His goal, however, is to see the girls become more committed to the sport and the basketball team be as successful as these other sports. To that end he is encouraging fifth and sixth grade girls to participate in basketball training after school. Right now he has 12 to 14 girls in the group. The modified team also has some up and comers. “They have to be more committed,” he said. “You can’t pick up a basketball in November and expect to have a winning season. You have to practice all year long.”