Big finish changes Pats' outlook on season, future
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

It's late February, you're 7-13.The last thing a basketball team is looking to do at this time is play more games. But instead of handing in their uniforms, the Freehold Township girls added six games to their schedule, and if they could have added more, coach John Sciarappa would have.

"We didn't want the season to end," said Sciarappa, who collected his 350th career coach win during the season. "It was one of those seasons where we were constantly going up the ladder and getting better.

"Everything just fell into place," he added. "They started playing together and became a unit. They always played hard."

With five wins in those final six games, the Pats finished the season 12-14 turning a ho-hum campaign into one that will carry a lot of momentum over to next year. The Top 8 players on the team are all coming back. To a player, the Patriots wish they could turn the calendar ahead to December 2007.

"We definitely became a different team in the last nine games," Sciarappa pointed out. "I was able to get the substitution pattern down and how much playing time everyone should get. We were able to get into a pressing mode and Erin Cordiner became such a spark for us."

Cristina Barthel, a sophomore transfer from Red Bank Catholic, eventually worked her way into the starting lineup and teamed up with point guard Adj Tepedino to form a very strong backcourt.

"Adj is our floor leader," noted Sciarappa. "She has a tough, defensive-minded attitude. The girls chose her captain.

"Cristina is one of the toughest players I've had in a while and her shooting is getting better," he added.

Kayla Borden, another sophomore, made great improvements in her shooting range. She went from someone who liked to shoot in the paint, to someone who could step outside and drain the three. The forward led the team in scoring.

Although the 3-pointer wasn't as big a part of the Patriot offense this year, the team did knock down 56 during the season.

Forward Alexis Stenftennagel became a strong rebounder and inside scorer. She and Borden are both 5-10 and provide what presence the team has under the glass.

Lindsie Sai, like Cordiner, was a catalyst off the bench. Sciarappa was able to go deep on the bench, which made the team a better pressing team. He was able to keep fresh legs on the court.

Ironically, it was a loss that turned the season around for Freehold Township. The Pats played state-playoff bound Raritan to a standstill. The game was tied with two seconds to go when the Rockets got the benefit of the whistle and won the game in regulation from the free-throw line.

"The girls saw that they could play with the better teams," said Sciarappa.

From that point, the Pats became a better team; one with a bright future.

Even without that 5-1 finish that gave the season and the future a whole knew look, things were looking good for Freehold Township. Both the freshmen and jayvee teams set school records for wins. The frosh were 19-2 and the JV, 18-4.

Sciarappa already has the rally cry for 2007-08 - "qualify." It's been three years since the Pats qualified for the postseason and that will be the team's No. 1 goal.