GRHS girls' basketball team works hard against tough foes

By Steve Carfagna
Staff Writer
The Glen Ridge High School girls’ varsity basketball team has had its share of setbacks this season.
The Lady Ridgers recently had a 4-11 overall record and a 2-8 record in the Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division, which is the second highest of the four divisions.
Still, head coach Jackie Cerone is happy as her players have been giving it their all and have been progressing.
“The team has definitely lived up to and exceeded my expectations,” she said. “The record may not show it, but the girls have been working incredibly hard against some very difficult competition and I’m proud of the way that they’ve stepped up to the challenge.”
The Ridgers defeated West Essex, 23-21, last Saturday Feb. 4 at GRHS to snap a five-game losing streak. GRHS then lost to Weequahic, 51-35, on Monday Feb. 6.
Cerone said several Ridgers have led the way. Of those players, undoubtedly none have played better than the team’s senior captains, Danielle Lisovicz and Mary Alati.
“Both have been leading the team in scoring, averaging 7.3 and 7.7 points per game, respectively,” said coach, noting there have been a number of players who have provided key contributions throughout the season. “We’ve seen scoring from everyone on the team this season, which Mike Sammon, the team’s assistant coach, and I are really excited about. We have a very young team and it’s great to see who will step up in any given game and put points on the board.”
Along with Lisovicz and Alati, Cerone also credited the play of another senior captain in Maggie Moriarty and sophomore Emily Marhan.
“Both lead us in rebounds, averaging 4.1 and 4.2 rebounds per game, respectively,” said the coach.
Sophomore Eileen McAuley also has been a spark. “Eileen has 10 blocks coming off the bench this season and those blocks have come against some very big teams,” Cerone said.
In general, the coach said she was pleased with all of the tenth-graders on the varsity team. “We’re really excited about the sophomore class, which includes Emily, Eileen, Kendall Smith, Caroline Smith, Victoria Finlay and Tessa Powell, because they’ve really been improving with each game.”
The Ridgers hope to finish the season strong.
“Hopefully we will be able to get a few more wins,” Cerone said.
Lisovicz and McAuley each had eight points against Weequahic in Newark.
Upcoming games at GRHS
Feb. 10, Caldwell, 7 p.m.
Feb. 14, Science Park, 4 p.m.