Haldane girls record two stress-free victories
The Haldane Blue Devils girls’ basketball team received a belated gift last week by way of a pair of stress-free victories in the Varsity Girls’ Basketball Holiday Classic, played at Highland and Spackenkill High Schools.
Haldane (4-3) opened the tournament on Dec. 27 with a 56-16 win over Spackenkill at Highland High School, and on Saturday (Dec. 28) beat Beacon, 36-25, at Spackenkill High.
In Haldane’s win over Beacon, Shianne Twoguns led the Blue Devils with 10 points and four rebounds, Olivia Monteleone came up with nine points and grabbed nine boards, while Bela Monteleone had seven points, six rebounds and four assists.
“We played really well defensively and offensively,” Haldane Coach Jessica Perrone said. “We were meshing on the fast-break. Liv and Abigail Platt did a great job shutting their tall players down by boxing out. Bela was slightly injured, but she played hard and had a good game, and Shianne did a great job for us.”
Dior Gillins led the Bulldogs (5-5) with seven points.
Olivia Monteleone had a strong all-around game — 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals — to lead Haldane past Spackenkill. Marisa Scanga had 11 points and four rebounds, Bela Monteleone notched 11 points, and Molly Siegel grabbed five rebounds to go with four points.
“I’ve seen improvement in each game,” Perrone said. “We’re passing well, getting better ball movement, and we’re reading the defense and finding the open look.
“Scanga was great moving around and getting open shots,” Perrone added. “Olivia did a lot for us aside from scoring, and Molly was consistent on defense and played aggressive. Every player has improved. Overall, I think a winning record is a confidence-booster for the girls, and I’m excited to see what good things may come in 2020.”
Perrone, who had been coaching both the junior varsity and varsity squads, said the school has added a junior varsity coach, Will Charkowski, a 2009 Haldane grad. “He knows basketball, and it’s been a really smooth transition. It’s such a big help to have him,” she said.
Beacon Coach Christina Dahl said her team was searching for points at the tournament. “We struggled scoring in both games,” she said. “Enita Rodriguez led us with 17 points in the first game (New Paltz), but we fell short, couldn’t finish our shots. Against Haldane, we missed 13 foul shots. Devyn Kelly and Dior Gillins played hard — rebounding, pushing the ball and creating opportunities. We got some good minutes from our bench, as well.”
Kelly was named All-Tournament for Beacon while Olivia Monteleone earned the honor for Haldane.
Haldane was set to host Valhalla on Saturday (Jan. 4) at 11 a.m., and visit Rye Neck on Wednesday (Jan. 8) at 4:30 p.m. Beacon travels to face Peekskill on Monday (Jan. 6) at 6 p.m. and hosts Poughkeepsie a day later at 6:15 p.m.
Photos by S. Pearlman
