Rivertowns Sports

High School Girls Basketball Teams Striving to be Competitive

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Four captains of the Irvington basketball team. (photo by Justin Luftig)

December 3, 2023

By Tom Pedulla—

The Hudson Independent previews the local girls’ basketball season. Here is a look at each team:

DOBBS FERRY

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Coach Kasey Grisanti is optimistic despite the need to replace three starters, including high-caliber center Grace Healy.

She must have leadership and quality play from team captains Julia Turner, Ella Moon and Abby Dann. Turner, a senior forward, will work to fill the considerable void created by Healy’s departure. Moon, a junior guard, and Dann, a junior forward, have been members of the varsity for all three seasons. Such experience is invaluable.

The coaches also are impressed by the strides made by junior point guard Alexa Vecchio. “She put in a lot of work in the offseason,” Grisanti said. “I think she will be instrumental in our success as our floor general.”

How rapidly can sophomore guard Mya Ustares progress? How high the Eagles fly may depend on that answer. “She has the potential to be a real impactful player,” the coach said.

Grisanti believes Dobbs Ferry can be one dangerous team if everything comes together. “I think we have the potential to be a big threat in Class B,” she said. “I just need the girls to believe in themselves and trust the process and they will do great things.”

HACKLEY

Hackley appears to have everything necessary to make a run at the top of the Ivy League, beginning with stellar senior Alessa Mendoza. “She handles the ball well, left and right, she sees the court, she’s a true point guard,” said Coach Margaret Scarcella.

Ashley Currie, another senior guard, is a pure shooter who provides a threat from beyond the three-point arc. Alex Schiller runs the court well while fellow senior forward Enya Walsh provides a strong inside presence. Senior Sydney Copeland is a skillful post player. Coaches are eager to see her develop into more of a scoring threat. Maura McGlarry completes a solid senior class.

Junior guard Donia Jarandiker provides a solid complement to Mendoza. Sophomore Angelina Hummel is expected to make an impact after a solid offseason while soft-shooting freshman Nora Husseini should provide a spark off the bench.

When asked about keys to the season, Scarcella replied, “We need more consistent post play. We have to continue to run and make smart decisions with the basketball.”

In a testament to her Hackley career, Mendoza is closing in on 1,000 career points.

IRVINGTON

If anyone can overcome the graduation of seven seniors and make a deep playoff run, it is the coaching tandem of Gina Maher and her long-time assistant, Barbara Constantine.

The Bulldogs will look to the senior leadership of scrappy guard Anders Knapp, talented center-forward Emmaline LeBuhn and veteran guard-forwards Nikki DeNardo and Addie Dring. Junior guard-forward Aly Raimondo is extremely talented and benefits from a wealth of experience.

Sophomore center Chloe MacKessy is a precocious talent with an innate sense for the game. Maher looks for junior Tristyn Pagan to contribute once Pagan returns from a preseason injury.

Guard Kayla Clinton, who started as a freshman, heads a promising group of sophomores. The other members of that class are Isi Doncov, Jelena Herceg, Sophia Im, Mia Kilbury, Annie McFeetors and Keira Ruffler.

“We’re making progress,” Maher said. “I look forward to them getting better each game as the season goes on. We just want to be better in February than we are now.”

Maher is impressed by the team’s approach and the way the upperclassmen are assisting those with less experience. “It’s a very nice group of girls who love the game,” she said.

MASTERS

New coach Scott Alvarez brings a wealth of experience and tremendous enthusiasm to a program in desperate need of both of those qualities. He has worked for 32 seasons as a coach; this will be his 17^th season coaching girls.

Alvarez could not be more enthusiastic about his new position. “Masters is as good as anyone can get. You have everything there to be a successful program,” he said. “I fully intend over the years to put in the time to build it back to prominence.”

His initial team has only eight players on the roster and just two seniors, guards Zara Suvanto and Jennica Pereiras. The new coach describes Suvanto as a “natural leader” and an excellent shooter. Pereiras does a good job of getting to the basket and is a strong defender.

Sophomores Azariah Charles and Emma Barnes provide two more offensive talents. Alvarez has a significant background in developing foreign players and will look to do so again with two girls from Spain, speedy sophomore point guard Ada De La Quintana and forward Gala Garcia, a 5-11 freshman forward who can step beyond the arc and nail three-pointers. Both have high ceilings to go with aspirations of playing in college.

“They’re young, so I get to mold them into really good basketball players. That’s my hope,” said Alvarez while vowing to keep to the Masters mission of placing academics first with its student-athletes.

SLEEPY HOLLOW

Sleepy Hollow finished 7-14 last season and achieved a moral victory by reaching the playoffs for the first time in a long time. With the loss of five seniors and an extremely difficult league schedule, it is going to be extremely challenging to repeat that.

The Richardson sisters embody hope for the future. Ashley, a junior forward, provides leadership as the team captain. She is a strong defender and rebounder. Her sister, Rachel, will start as a guard-forward as a freshman with tremendous upside.

Coach Steve Loscher is looking for points in the paint from senior center Eva Bertiz. Energetic junior guard Juliet Loffredo lacks experience but secured a spot in the starting lineup by making dramatic improvement. Lauren Monachelli, a freshman guard-forward, rounds out the starting five as part of a massive rebuilding effort. The roster includes three freshmen, three sophomores and three juniors.

Loscher is doing everything possible to develop talent at the youth level while emphasizing fundamentals at the varsity level. “They’re very good kids, they work hard, they listen. It’s fun going to work every day, teaching the game,” the coach said. “These kids are like sponges. They just want to get better.”

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