Girls Basketball team breaks into win column

Angelica Calderon, Leah O’Bryan and Alex Reyno, senior captains of the 2012-13 Lady Bulldogs

Kayla Meech, Veritas Staff

With former RHS star-athlete and basketball state champion Diana Mitchell as the Lady Dog’s new head coach, the girl’s varsity basketball team looks to put last year’s losing record far behind them. Senior captains Leah O’Bryan, Alex Reyno and Angelica Calderon hope to lead the team to a winning season, a first for the Lady Dog’s since the ’09-’10 season, which was led by head coach Mal Lannin-Cotton.

Mrs. Lannin-Cotton, who had been Rockland’s girls’ varsity basketball coach for thirty years, said this about her hopes for coach Mitchell and the team. “This year’s team, led by Coach Mitchell and the seven seniors, has the talent and drive to get Rockland Girl’s basketball back to the tournament.”  Bailey Olsen, Jill Krish, Kayla Meech and Sarah Royle make up the senior class along with the three captains.

Last year’s season ended at home on the old Bulldog basketball court with a tough loss against the Hanover Indians. Brian Fisher, son of former RHS Boys Basketball coach who won the State Championship in 2004 and head coach for the Indians, may have expected facing Rockland would result in two easy wins this season. However, when Hanover walked into the Bulldog gym on Friday the 7th, Coach Fisher was certainly proved wrong.

After a hard two weeks of practicing and preparing for the game, the Dogs started and ended the game with great intensity. With the two very similar teams battling with equal scrappiness and power, the game seemed to constantly be in a stalemate. In the end the Indians left with a 45-41 victory over the Dogs, a loss, however, that did not discourage the Lady Dogs. “We all worked with high energy throughout the entire game; the score just came down to simple layups and foul shots that just didn’t drop for us,” explained  Jill Krish, who said she is very proud and confident in how the team looks thus far.

Senior captain Alex Reyno had this to say about the team and how the many underclassmen have contributed a lot this year. “I think all of the underclassmen have really stepped it up and have provided a ton of help to the team. Every player is crucial in their own way.” Of particular note are freshman Kyra Rose who has stepped into the starting line-up, accepting an important role on the team as point guard and leading scorer, and veteran junior center Ally Cerrato who has played tough in the paint for the Dogs.

With their first game of the season behind them, the Lady Dogs then traveled to Hull to face the Pirates in the first league match of the season.

“For years Hull has been able to put a run on [Rockland]” Coach Mitchell said, “for reasons I don’t know why.” With hard work and high energy the Lady Dogs had the ability to beat Hull and make their record a solid 1-1, but on Tuesday the 11th Hull’s girls basketball team had their home opener against the Dogs, and took the win 57-35.

Not allowing these disappointing losses to keep them down, the Lady Dogs continue to work extremely hard to reach the high potential that they know they have.The season has just begun, and the girls have all they need to make this season one to bring Rockland Girls basketball into the win column.

As senior Sarah Royle says, “We’re expected to be the underdog of the league, but we’re willing and ready to prove everyone that we’re a team to watch for.”

With dedication and sustained energy mixed with intensity and strength, this season’s Lady Dogs basketball team certainly has what it takes to end with a winning season.