ON THE RISE: Hun School girls’ basketball player Nicole Angelini goes up for a lay-up in a game this winter. Senior guard Angelini provided a spark off the bench for Hun as it advanced to the state Prep A final and ended the winter with an 18-7 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

It is an oft-stated sports adage that it is hard to beat the same opponent three times in one season and the Hun School girls’ basketball team was happy to provide evidence this winter to help support that proposition.

Having fallen to Lawrenceville 57-44 in a regular season meeting in late January and then losing 68-53 to the Big Red in the MAPL (Mid-Atlantic Prep League) semis on February 8, Hun turned the tables on its archrivals by defeating them 61-55 in the state Prep A semis on February 17.

In reflecting on the win in the rubber match, Hun head coach Bill Holup pointed to defensive versatility and a quick start as factors that made a difference for the Raiders.

“We continually switched our defense between man and zone; we tried to keep them off balance offensively,” said Holup.

“Also that was a game where we started it out on top. The previous two times we had played them, we were playing catch up. They would score the first few baskets of the game and we just had a hard time staying with them. This time it was different.”

In the third quarter of the Prep A game, Lawrenceville had trouble staying with Hun as the Raiders outscored the Big Red 15-3.

“It was the defense and also the fact that we shot better as a team than we did in the previous two games that we played them,” said Holup, who got 27 points from junior guard Izzy Lalo in the win.

“We have some very good shooters but the first two times we struggled to find any consistency. Izzy was very composed and she was able to carry us for the most part this time.”

Getting redemption in round three was sweet for Hun players. “The girls were really excited about it; we didn’t think Lawrenceville was that much better than us,” added Holup.

“It was just on those previous days, they beat us. This time things worked in our favor.”

Things didn’t go well in the Prep A final as Hun fell 76-52 to powerhouse Blair Academy, getting outscored 26-5 in the first quarter.

“It was a rough start overall but I was very proud of how the girls played,” said Holup who got 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds from post-graduate guard Enya Maguire in defeat.

“Having to play at their floor in front of their crowd for a state final was certainly tough. We played a very good basketball game, we had nice backdoor cuts going. They only outscored us by three (50-47) in the last three quarters.”

While the loss in the final stung, it was still a very nice winter for Hun as it finished with an 18-7 record.

“Enya missed the first eight games and the other girls stepped up,” said Holup.

“We had a very talented team and not only were we talented, but we had a terrific group of players with their personality. They were just fun to be around.”

Flashy point guard Maguire, a native of Belfast, Ireland, stepped up for the Raiders down the stretch.

“When Enya came back from her injury, she really elevated the team in terms of their personality,” said Holup. “She just brought everyone else’s game to another level.”

The team’s other seniors, Alexis English, Nicole Angelini, and Lainey Nolan, brought personality and grit.

“They were a great group; English was injured and she didn’t play from December but she was there everyday and still supporting the rest of the ream which made it terrific,” said Holup.

“Nicole was the guard that came in off the bench for us and really gives us a spark on the defensive end. She is full of energy. Lainey gave us the height that we didn’t have in the past couple of years. She was an extremely unselfish player. When she got the ball, she always looked for the wings that were cutting or she looked to just kick it back out if she was posting up. There were times where I thought she was too unselfish but that was the chemistry of the whole team. Everybody was so unselfish, they were always looking for their teammate.”

With such returning players as juniors Kennedy Jardine and Lalo along with freshman Sasha Moise and sophomore Kiera Hahn, Hun is looking at some good times ahead.

“Kennedy was our leading scorer and Izzy was the third leading scorer behind Enya; both of them are back and through those first eight games, they were the ones that carried us,” said Holup, noting that Jardine and Lalo served as team co-captains this winter.

“It is great to have someone like Sasha who gave us quality minutes off the bench in the forward position. She was a very pleasant surprise; I thought it would take her some time to develop but she contributed right away from game one. Kiera is just one of these players who does everything. We could put Kiera guarding the guards or the forwards. She rebounds and is very physical. For two years in a row, she has led the team in charges taken. Looking at the girls that are returning with their personality as well as their mentality, we have a lot of promise for the future.”

https://www.hunschool.org/athletics