Youth Movement Pays Dividends for SH Girls Program

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February 24, 2026

By Tom Pedulla

After recent dismal results, the future appears to be very bright for the Sleepy Hollow girls’ basketball program.

Powered by a nucleus of precocious eighth graders, the Horsemen produced a dramatic turnaround in finishing with a 13-8 record in the Class A developmental league.

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“I thoroughly enjoyed the season because we worked, we worked to get where we are,” said second-year coach John Kavanah.

He is the first to admit that was not always the case in the past. But there is much to be said for youthful enthusiasm, and Sleepy Hollow possessed that in abundance with league Most Valuable Player Sadie Minella, a sharp-shooting guard who averaged 14 points per game, showing the way. Olivia Montolio, Gaby Godinho and Loren Martinez were other prominent eighth graders.

“They’ve been phenomenal. They care. They show emotion when we lose,” Kavanah said. “That’s important to me.”

Minella is extremely advanced as an offensive player for her tender age. She is equally effective whether she is driving to the basket or draining a three-pointer from beyond the arc.

“I know it is cliché, but the sky is the limit for her,” Kavanah said. “She puts in time outside of the season. She puts in time outside of the time we are allotted with her. She just has a passion for the game.”

Minella was joined as an All-League performer by Montolio, a heady point guard who kept the offense humming. Senior center Cassie Junge also earned All-League honors and the importance of her contribution cannot be overstated.

“She was a consummate leader,” her coach said. “I can’t say it any better than that.”

Senior Greta Wuerffel and junior Lauren Monachelli also served as captains.

While Junge is disappointed she cannot be part of the future, she looks forward to seeing what it holds.

“This year was really good for us. We built a good foundation,” she noted. “Everyone got to see what varsity basketball is like and I’m excited to see them develop.”

Basketball was not always high on the list of activities for young girls in Sleepy Hollow. Junge sees that rapidly changing. “Basketball in this town is growing a lot and it’s great to see,” she said. “There are people who want to play basketball and want to get better.”

Minella provides a great example with her team-first approach. She said of receiving league MVP honors, “It meant a lot. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches. They really helped me through it and led me to that.”

Kavanah views Godinho as an integral part of the future. He is eager to see more of Martinez, who missed valuable time to illness and had to rebuild her stamina after that. The youth movement continues with seventh-graders Lucia Conace and Riley Fiore.

Junge looks forward to seeing Sleepy Hollow become a force in the next few years. “They’re going to have so many great seasons in the future,” she said, “because they are going to have time to play together and grow.”

Sleepy Hollow is committed to leaving the developmental league behind, confident it has the talent to do so.

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