Clockwise from top left, Jaime Bartley-Cohen gets off a shot inside against Horace Greeley. Sela Halaifonua earned tournament MVP honors as she led John Jay to North Salem tourney title. Natalie Ellrodt fires a three-point attempt for the Wolves. Jane Brennan drives the lane for the Wolves. Jim MacLean Photos
By JIM MACLEAN
It has been a very good start to the New Year for the John Jay girls’ varsity basketball team.
After a rough start in December, John Jay stood at 1-7 overall with some tough losses against some tough teams. January has brought a New Year and a new start for the Wolves, and the results have been impressive with five-straight victories to improve to 6-7 overall.
John Jay dominated to win the North Salem Tournament title over the weekend, and then cruised to a victory on the road over the Obama School on Jan. 13. The Wolves are rolling and the shots are falling, averaging 60 points a game over the five-game winning streak.
“They’re coming together, everybody is healthy and that helps, and they’re starting to click,” admitted John Jay coach Matt Gallagher. “The entire team is playing well, the intensity is up on defense, we’re getting scoring from a lot of players and that’s huge. We’re moving in the right direction.”
At the North Salem tournament, John Jay opened with a first-round victory over Horace Greeley on Friday, and then defeated Briarcliff in the championship game to claim the title. Sela Halaifonua led the way as she was named MVP of the tournament, and Jane Breannan was named to the All-Tournament team.
In the title game against Briarcliff, John Jay cruised to a 55-33 victory over the Bears behind a tough defense and a balanced offense. Halaifonua led the way with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Avery Bisignano, Charlotte Omin and Brennan each scored seven points for the Wolves.
The Wolves were unstoppable in the opener against rival Horace Greeley opening up a 36-14 lead at the half and cruising to a 60-36 victory. Halaifonua led the charge as she scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Halaifonua ignited a hot team in the first half as she scored 16 points with three, three-pointers, and Omin also connected on a pair of three-pointers. Brennan finished the game with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Omin scored nine points for the Wolves.
“It was a fun opportunity for us to win this tournament, beat a good Greeley team and then beat a tough Briarcliff team,” Gallagher said of the tournament title. “We’re finding the open player, making good passes, scoring in transition, with six or seven players scoring, and that production from the bench really takes the pressure off on offense.”
John Jay followed up the tournament title with a dominant win on the road at Obama as all 15 players on the roster scored for the Wolves in a 65-15 victory. Gabby Camaj and Omin each scored seven points to lead the way to the victory.
The Wolves started the New Year and the five-game win streak with a 60-37 victory on the road over Harrison. Halaifonua scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jaime Bartley-Cohen had a big game with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Brennan added seven points for the Wolves.
John Jay then scored a 63-38 win on the road at Peekskill on Jan. 8, with Bartley-Cohen leading the way with 15 points. Natalie Ellrodt also finished in double figures with 10 points, and Camaj scored eight points.
It adds up to an impressive start for the New Year as John Jay turned it around from a rough start, and now Gallagher hopes the team can continue to improve and get ready for a tough league schedule and then the playoffs.
“It was a good week for our confidence and overall morale,” explained Gallagher. “This week helped us grow as a team and change the energy we had. They played so hard, but we had a tough schedule to start, and it was good to regain that confidence going into our league schedule. Now we have to get back to work and finish strong.”
John Jay faced a tough week ahead as the Wolves were scheduled to face defending Section 1 champion Walter Panas on the road, Wednesday Jan. 15. The Wolves then travel to rival Fox Lane on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18.