Tuesday night’s Council Rock South/Council Rock North girls’ basketball game is an SOL Featured Game, sponsored by the CR South Booster Club. Check back for photos and a game story.
By Mary Jane Souder
Alexis Hofstaedter uses the words spectacular and magical to describe last year’s once-in-a-lifetime season that saw Council Rock South jump out of the gate to a 25-0 start.
The Golden Hawks’ senior co-captain knew things would be different this time around, but that didn’t make the team’s 4-6 start any easier to swallow.
“It’s weird to lose because we’re not used to that,” Hofstaedter said. “We have to get the perspective that it’s not the same team as last year. We’re not going to be that 25-0 team we were last year.”
That being said, Hofstaedter and fellow co-captain Courtney Brown strongly believe this year’s squad can still experience success, but they also know the time is now if they hope to turn things around.
“We know we have talent on our team,” Brown said. “We just have to work together. We’re kind of struggling to put it together right now. We’re not playing as a complete team. We have to get the chemistry going.”
The Golden Hawks have shown glimpses of playing as a complete team, but there’s no mistaking the fact their world has changed dramatically with the graduation of all-everything center Alex Wheatley, who is playing at Princeton University.
“Going into the season, I looked at this year as a challenge for our team,” coach Monica Stolic said. “You don’t lose a player that’s first team all-state for two years and was what Alex meant to our program and just go out and win 25 games in a row like we did last year.
“That’s not going to happen, but I figured we could be very competitive in the league.”
Stolic also knew that in order for this year’s team to be successful, her players would have to assume new roles, most notably her two captains.
“Alexis has always been a pass-first point guard,” Stolic said. “I told her – this year you need to look for your shot first, and I think she’s really embraced that role. She’s really stepped up big.”
Hofstaedter, bound for William and Mary on a basketball scholarship, is one of the league’s top scorers, averaging close to 17 points to go along with 7.4 rebounds and 8.1 assists. That’s 10 points a game more than last year.
“I was so used to be passing it to Wheaties and relying on her to score, knowing she would be able to get the points and help us win,” Hofstaedter said. “Now it’s kind of like me and Court both have to step up. We can’t just pass to each other. We’re the ones being relied on. We have to score to win the game.
“It’s definitely different. I’m not used to scoring much at all. When the game gets slow if I do tend to pass too much, somebody has to step up, and it ends up being me and Courtney who have to take the lead. At first, it was kind of uncomfortable because it was like – this isn’t what I’m used to, but I just want to do what I need to do for the team to be successful.”
Brown, who has accepted a scholarship to East Stroudsburg, also has elevated her game, averaging close to 13 points after playing in a supporting role last year.
“It’s a lot different,” she said. “Hof and I know we have to step up every game. We have to look to score, we have to take our opportunities.
“Yes, we have other girls on the team who can score, but Hof and I have the most experience. We know we have to get the work done and get the shots up. Taylor Dillon has been a big help because she’s great on defense, and she drives a lot, but it’s a lot different now that we don’t have that inside game.”
Brown has found herself playing some post and admits she’s not always comfortable in her new role.
“I’m working on it,” she said. “It’s hard being a post player. I give them a lot of respect because they have to do a lot of work to get open and then if the guards don’t pass it to them, it’s hard to get the ball inside.
“Last year, we had so many transition points from Wheatley – she would just get the rebound and kick it out. We don’t have that often this year.”
While Stolic had high expectations for her squad, the Golden Hawks coach was surprised to discover that others didn’t.
“Actually, one of the coaches in the league told me that nobody expects anything from us,” she said. “That’s not how I feel. I expect things from the girls, and they expect things too.
“They didn’t expect to go out and do what we did last year, but they expect to win some games. It’s tough, but we still have a lot of basketball left to play. They’re still getting used to playing without Alex. We’re used to going inside out. We don’t have that anymore. We changed everything, and we’re going through growing pains, but I think the girls are maturing. They have no other choice but to accept the changes, and they are.”
After a 3-3 December, the Golden Hawks dropped their first two games in January to Bensalem and Neshaminy.
“That Bensalem game was the low point, but to us, it was like – maybe we needed this because we can’t just beat teams like we did last year,” Hofstaedter said. “It gave our team perspective that we have to work hard for everything.
“We have to stay focused and take one game at a time.”
“You have to want to play,” Brown added. “You have to give your effort and play basketball. You can’t just show up and think you’ll win.
“Every game is a new game, and whoever shows up to play is going to win.”
The Golden Hawks hope last Friday’s win over William Tennent is a building block.
“On Friday night, Cara (Barlow) and Shannon (Boyle) stepped up and Allison Taub with rebounds – if we as a team realize that if we all play well together we can win, then we can definitely do some damage the second half of the season,” Hofstaedter said.
“We just have to believe in ourselves, play as a team and play 32 minutes,” Brown added.
Stolic will be looking to her senior captains to lead the inexperienced Golden Hawks as the second half of the SOL season is about to begin. Tuesday’s night’s game against archrival Council Rock North looms large for a Golden Hawk squad looking to turn things around.
“It’s very big as far as the standings in the league, but it’s such a rivalry between the schools,” Stolic said. “I feel like it’s big for their confidence.
“I said to the girls, ‘’I’m glad we have everybody in the league twice. Not many people expect much out of you, but I do.’ I know we can compete with the other schools, but the rivalry – North/South is so big.”
“We have to come out really strong,” Brown said. “We need to stand our ground, make some noise and let people know we’re not the weakest link.”
The home stretch of the season starts Tuesday for a Golden Hawk squad that is hoping to finish strong.
Just the facts:
This year’s record: Council Rock South 2-3 SOL (4-6 overall); Council Rock North 3-3 SOL (7-6 overall)
Last year’s record: Council Rock South 14-0 SOL National Conference champions (27-3 overall); Council Rock North 9-5 SOL (12-11 overall)
Last meeting: Feb. 3, 2012 – Council Rock South 47, Council Rock North 32 (CR South: Alex Wheatley 12 points, Taylor Dillon – 12 points, Caitlin Jackson – 9 points, Taylor Hunt – 8 points; CR North: Alyssa Dumont – 9 points, Emily Grundman – 8 points, Jessica Gerber – 6 points)
Last game: Council Rock South 61, William Tennent 54 (Alexis Hofstaedter – 21 points, Taylor Dillon – 13 points, Cara Barlow – 12 points, Shannon Boyle – 8 points, Courtney Brown – 7 points)
Council Rock North 57, Mastery North 33 (Jessica Gerber – 22 points, Tara Garfield – 6 points, Michaela Finneyfrock – 6 points, Hailey Burns – 6 points)
Council Rock South
Projected starters:
#3 – Taylor Dillon (Jr., 5-5)
#5 – Cara Barlow (Soph., 5-6)
#11 – Courtney Brown (Sr., 5-8)
#14 – Alexis Hofstaedter (Sr., 5-8)
#24 – Shannon Boyle (Jr., 5-9)
The rest of the Golden Hawks:
#10 – Stephanie Thomas (Sr., 5-11)
#12 – Kara Riehl (Jr., 5-8)
#13 – Carly Rizzo (Fr., 5-8)
#15 – Rachael Braccia (Sr., 5-8)
#25 – Emily Rose DeAngelis (Jr., 5-10)
#32 – Allison Taub (Soph., 5-7)
Council Rock North
Projected starters:
#12 – Jessica Gerber (5-6, Soph., Guard)
#13 – Michaela Finneyfrock (5-9, Soph., Guard)
#20 – Madison Attanasio (5-8, Soph., Guard/Forward)
#41 – Hailey Burns (6-1, Soph., Center/Forward)
#44 – Krista Campbell (5-10, Soph., Forward)
The rest of the Indians:#2 – Tara Garfield (5-7, Soph., Guard)
#3 – Katie Budny (5-8, Jr., Guard)
#4 – Devon Mela (5-7, Fr., Guard)
#5 – Natalie Guama (5-8, Jr., Guard/Forward)
#11 – Kayla Devlin (5-4, Jr., Guard)
#15 – Kate Keller (5-11, Jr., Forward)
#21 – Maddy McCullough (5-9, Fr., Forward)
#23 – Jules Singer (5-9, Soph., Forward)
#25 – Carson Easterly (5-8, Soph., Forward)
#45 – Mary Kate Celini (5-8, Soph., Forward)
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