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Hun Girls' Hoops Improves to 20-1; Aims to Stay Course in Tourney Play

By Bill Alden

Bill Holup hasn't had to deal with many peaks and valleys in guiding the Hun School girls' basketball team this winter.

The Raiders got out of the gate with 11 straight wins, as their offensive execution gradually caught up with the team's defensive tenacity.

Hun then lost to perennial state Prep A champion Peddie in early January but earned respect in the process as it pushed the Falcons hard for three quarters before succumbing 50-37.

Holup's club hasn't lost since, reeling off nine straight wins and bringing a glittering 20-1 mark into the penultimate week of the season which will see Hun competing in both the state Prep A and Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) tournaments.

As he looks ahead to post-season action, Holup is confident that his veteran-laden team can stay the course. "This team knows how to win," said Holup, whose roster features six seniors and two juniors. "It's been such a consistent team."

The team showed its ability to win ugly as it topped Lawrence 53-21 and Hopewell Valley 55-45 last week in its final two regular season contests.

"In the Lawrence game, we were a little sluggish," acknowledged Holup. "We had a big win against Hill a couple days earlier and I think we had a bit of a letdown. I knew that Hopewell Valley was going to be a tough game. It was senior night for us and we were juggling the line-up a little bit. I thought the girls responded well to that situation."

Holup is confident his team will respond well when it hosts Blair on February 16 in a state Prep A semifinal matchup. "We have already beaten them twice," said Holup, who has plenty of firepower on offense with senior star Shantee Darrian averaging more than 20 points a game and junior Mary Stinson and freshman Emily Gratch both chipping in around 11 points a contest.

"The pressure is on Blair. We scored a total of 135 points in our first two games with them and they have to figure out a way to stop us. We just need to play our game and hit shots."

Recognizing that there is a good chance this his club could be squaring off against Peddie in both the MAPL and Prep tourneys, Holup concedes that his team will have to figure out a way to step up its game.

"We played them tough," said Holup, whose team competes in the MAPL tournament from February 18-20 at Mercersburg Academy. "We had a lead in the third quarter and we were only down by five gong into the fourth. Their defense stepped it up and we slipped a bit on offense."

In Holup's view, his senior group, many of whom played in the state Prep A final as freshmen when Hun fell to Peddie, is primed to take things to the next level.

"We've never wanted to play Peddie, now we do," declared Holup, whose core of seniors includes Darrian, Jill Fonseca, Ica Morales, Nadine Maeser, Chelsey Baxter, and Bis Fries. "Our seniors are very confident of their ability and skills."

If the Raiders can get the most out of their ability, they could end the winter with a peak experience.