By Frank Rizzo
JEFFERSONVILLE — December 22, 2000 – Someone must have been made aware of Jeff-Youngsville’s strong showing this young season, because the Lady Trojans are ranked seventh in Class D girls’ hoop standings in the latest New York State Sportswriters Association Newsletter poll.
And that was before wins over Tuxedo (Monday) and Tri-Valley (Wednesday) upped J-Y’s record to 7–0.
Trojan coach Ron Bernhardt is more realistic, however, about his team’s potential.
“We’re not deep — we have nine players — and we’re one injury away … we’re walking on eggshells,” he said.
The Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV win over Tuxedo on Monday, by a 45-32 score, is bound to raise some eyebrows.
The visiting Tornadoes were the defending Orange County League National Conference Division II champs, going undefeated in the league a year ago.
“They’re predicted to win again, they’ll be in the running,” Bernhardt said of the Tornadoes, who return three starters.
The Trojans threatened to make a rout of it on Monday, jumping out to a 14-2 lead after one stanza.
“We were executing beautifully and shooting out the lights,” Bernhardt said.
But soon, the visitors closed the gap thanks to a stingy 2-2-1 trap press.
“We bent but didn’t break,” Bernhardt commented after the visitors got as close as 22-18 early in the third before “we started scoring in transition to get some cushion.”
Free throws helped the home team: the Trojans made 11-of-14 on the game and 8/8 in the fourth quarter.
“We toughed it out,” Bernhardt said. “It was hard to get good looks against that tough zone. Tuxedo is very well coached and tall and quick.”
Kristin Erlwein led J-Y with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Shelisa Duquette added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Christina Winski netted 10.
“In four of the last five games we’ve had three different people in double scoring,” Bernhardt said.
Concerning the division race, Bernhardt sees no clear favorite right now.
“I don’t see anybody going without a loss. Eldred, Seward, and Chester are solid. I believe we can play with all of them,” Bernhardt noted.
“This team is finding its identity. It’s a nice looking crew. They’ve had an excellent month of focus,” Bernhardt said.
On Wednesday, the Trojans improved to 2–0 with a 49-19 rout of host Tri-Valley. They started out fast again, leading 12-2 after one quarter.
Tiffany Hauser overcame her poor shooting against Tuxedo to net 12 points. Duquette and Vanessa Meyer added 10 each.