Tuesday night’s Council Rock North/Council Rock South game is an SOL Featured Game, sponsored by the Rock North Booster Club. Check back for a complete game story.
Megan Cunningham and her Council Rock North teammates knew the script.
“Ever since we were kids, North basketball was Lou Palkovics,” the Rock North senior said. “Everybody knew him.
“Lauren Gold and I used to always go to the games when we were younger. We couldn’t wait until high school and our freshman year just to go to tryouts.”
The script changed dramatically in September when Palkovics announced that he would be taking a leave of absence this season. It actually changed even sooner for Cunningham, who underwent surgery on Aug. 12 to repair her injured ankle.
Instead of starting for the Indians as she had anticipated, the senior captain is helping with drills at practice and keeping stats during games.
“Words can’t describe how hard it is,” Cunningham said. “In the beginning, I thought it would be okay, but after the first tournament, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t sit through a whole season like this.’
“The girls have been really great, and they make it so much easier to come to practice every day. Molly (Doyle) has been through an ACL tear, so she knows what I’m going through. There will be some days when I will come home and cry because I miss it so much, but I have to think about the long run.”
With that in mind, Cunningham is making the best of a difficult situation.
“Megan should get a whole lot of credit,” coach Liz Potash said. “She probably will not play a minute this year, and she’s just as dedicated as everyone else.
“She’s been to every practice, she runs drills, and she’s a vocal leader on the bench. She keeps stats, and she’ll write notes throughout the game about what we did well and what we need to improve. She helps us out tremendously.
“I tell Megan all the time – I know it’s got to be hard to be in her position, but she’s doing so much more than I think a lot of other people would do in the position she’s in.”
Cunningham isn’t the only player who has stepped up during this season of transition. Her teammates have answered the call as well, and instead of looking back at what could have been, they are looking forward.
“Everyone thought because we lost our coach and we lost the Golds (last year’s starting backcourt of Lauren and Devin Gold) – we weren’t going to be competitive, but we have high expectations for ourselves because we still have really good players,” senior captain Alyssa Dumont said. “We knew we could do well this year, so we just wanted to prove everyone wrong and show that we could still compete as Council Rock North basketball even though we had a lot of (changes) to face.”
The Indians are also without varsity veteran Molly Doyle. The Rock North senior – who tore her ACL during the season last year – joins Cunningham on the sidelines, assisting the team as a manager. Doyle will be playing lacrosse next year at the US Naval Academy.
“We call them Coach Megan and Manager Molly,” Potash said of Cunningham and Doyle. “They are right there, and they are as much a part of the team as anyone.
“You have to give them a lot of credit.”
Heading into Tuesday night’s showdown against rival Council Rock South, the Indians are not only surviving the changes but thriving. They are 3-1 in National Conference play and 6-3 overall.
“Our team is extremely unique just in how well we get along with each other,” senior captain Emily Grundman said. “It’s a dynamic that I’ve never experienced with any other team.
“We have all known each other for so long. Helena (Gemmell), Megan and I were all on the same AAU team in fifth grade. We got to know Alyssa, and we got to know Molly. I think our friendship and our friendship with all the other grades – it’s really something that bonds us as a team. I know coach Potash emphasizes a lot of team building, and I think that’s something that as captains we definitely try to carry on.”
Although the transition has been a smooth one, the players acknowledge they had some concerns when Palkovics informed them he would not be on the sidelines this season.
“Going into my freshman year, I had seen the team play a bunch of times,” Grundman said. “We were huge supporters of Council Rock North, and coach Palkovics was someone who always went hand-in-hand with it.
“It was a really, really big shock. The natural question for all of us was – who’s going to take over this position because for as long as we had known the program, it was always coach Palkovics coaching the program.”
“When he told us he was leaving, I was just shocked,” Cunningham added. “At first I was really upset because I couldn’t picture North basketball without him. None of us could. We were a little scared, I’m not going to lie.”
Those fears were alleviated in a hurry when Palkovics told them that Potash, a varsity assistant from 2002-09, would take over the helm this season.
“When he said her name, I felt better because I knew what she had to bring,” Cunningham said. “I was on jayvee my freshman year, so I kind of knew her. I knew she was a tough coach, and I knew she had good things to bring. She wouldn’t let this be a setback, especially our senior year, so I was excited about that.”
“For us, I don’t think it could have worked out any better,” Grundman added. “We were lucky enough to have worked with coach Potash when we were freshmen. We knew the kind of energy and positive attitude she brought to the team, so when she stepped in, I think she did a really great job of quickly acclimating herself with what was a very new team and establishing herself as coach.”
More than a few players find themselves in new roles, and freshman Jessica Gerber has taken over the point guard duties.
“We had a lot of freshmen this year, and we had a lot of underclassmen playing with us, so it’s a different dynamic this year than it was before,” Dumont said. “I knew it would be hard and there would be some ups and downs, but I never really doubted. It’s completely different the way practice is run, but it’s still really good basketball, and coach Potash is an awesome coach. She can teach us a lot.”
For Potash, the transition has been equally seamless. It has helped that long-time assistant Bill Rabberman has remained on her staff, and she also is assisted by alums Julie (Sailer) Osbeck, the varsity assistant, and Danielle (Matulis) Oxley, who coaches the jayvee.
“For Julie and I, it’s hard to say what would have been because we never had (those players),” Potash said. “We just took the kids that were here and could play, and I think they’re doing a great job. I give them all the credit in the world.”
The team’s lone returning starters this season are Grundman, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, and Gemmell, who is first in steals, second in rebounds and third in scoring. Dumont is first in steals, second in scoring and third in rebounds.
“The three senior captains are great leaders,” Potash said. “Emily has been in the varsity program since her freshman year so she knows what’s expected of this program and communicates through her words and actions.
"Alyssa was an easy shoo-in to pick as captain because she's been so dedicated, and she's such a good leader. Helena is a leader in her own way. She’s definitely a unique kid, and just her play on the court shows leadership.”
Senior Melissa Rowland has stepped up as a starter and is the team’s defensive stopper.
“The way Melissa plays and the tenacity she brings, especially on the defensive end – that’s a great role (model) for these kids to see,” Potash said. “I love that Melissa and Jess work together at practice. What a great thing for Jess to be working against Melissa every day and to play against someone who is going to challenge you that much on defense. It’s only going to make Jess better down the road.”
Potash also acknowledged the leadership of juniors Rachel McLaughlin and Dominique Pinto.
“We have nine freshmen in the program and all these sophomores, so we count on our upperclassmen to be leaders,” the first-year coach said. “We couldn’t be happier that a lot of the things we’re working on is really starting to convert. We’re seeing a lot of it on the floor.
“In our game against Bishop McGuinness (the defending North Carolina state champion) – the girls showed us a lot. They played against a very, very good team, and they were right there with them. We were real proud of them – as proud as you could be with a loss.”
The players firmly believe their team is heading in the right direction.
“At the end of the day, we want to enrich this tradition of being a member of the Council Rock North girls’ basketball team because that’s something that’s really special, and it’s really fun,” Grundman said. “I think the fact that everyone on our team is so friendly, so positive and so willing to work hard – it really provides a special atmosphere that allows us to push ourselves to be successful.”
The Indians will face a tough test when they host an undefeated Rock South squad on Tuesday night.
“I love the South game because there’s such an electricity around it,” Grundman said. “Thinking about the fact that it’s going to be our last home game against South – we want to make it special, and hopefully, we can walk out of the gym on Tuesday night with a really positive memory.”
Just the facts:
This year’s record: Council Rock North 3-1 SOL (6-3 overall), Council Rock South 4-0 SOL (9-0 overall)
Last year’s record: Council Rock North 26-3 (13-1 SOL National Conference champions), Council Rock South 19-8 (11-3 SOL)
Last meeting: Feb. 4, 2011 – Council Rock South 53, Council Rock North 40 (CR South: Alex Wheatley – 31 points, Alexis Hofstaedter – 9 points, Caitlin Jackson – 8 points; CR North: Devin Gold – 11 points, Lauren Gold – 8 points, Emily Grundman – 7 points, Megan Cunningham – 6 points, Alyssa Dumont – 6 points)
Last game: Council Rock North 36, Pennsbury 29 (Helena Gemmell – 17 points, Emily Grundman – 7 points, Alyssa Dumont – 6 points)
Council Rock South 36, Abington 34 (Alex Wheatley 18, points, Alexis Hofstaedter – 10 points)
Council Rock North
Projected Starters:
#10 – Alyssa Dumont (5-11, Sr., Forward) 9.8 PPG, 5.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists
#12 – Jessica Gerber (5-6, Fr., Guard)
#14 – Melissa Rowland (5-8, Sr., Guard)
#21 – Emily Grundman (6-2, Sr., Center/Forward) 15.0 PPG, 7.0 rebounds
#22 – Helena Gemmell (5-11, Sr., Forward/Guard) 6.6 PPG, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals
The rest of the Indians:
#3 – Katie Budny (5-8, Soph., Guard)
#5 – Natalie Guarna (5-7, Soph., Guard)
#20 – Madison Attansio (5-8, Fr., Forward/Guard)
#24 – Rachel McLaugling-McManis (5-10, Jr., Forward)
#31 – Megan Hannagen (6-1, Fr., Forward/Center)
#33 – Dominique Pinto (5-8, Jr., Guard)
#35 – Megan Cunningham (5-10, Sr., Guard/Forward)
#44 – Krista Campbell (5-10, Fr., Forward)
Council Rock South
Projected Starters:
#3 – Taylor Dillon (5-4, Soph.)
#11 – Courtney Brown (5-7, Jr.)
#14 – Alexis Hofstaedter (5-8, Jr.)
#21 – Alex Wheatley (6-3, Sr.)
#24 – Caitlin Jackson (5-9, Soph.)
The rest of the Golden Hawks:
#5 – Cara Barlow (5-5, Fr.)
#10 – Stephanie Thomas (5-11, Jr.)
#12 – Allison Taub (5-5, Fr.)
#15 – Rachael Braccia (5-8, Jr.)
#25 – Emily Rose DeAngelis (5-10, Soph.)
#32 – Taylor Hunt (5-7, Sr.)
#33 – Rachel Jacob (5-11, Sr.)
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