Building a foundation Green Wave girls hope to ride Oxford conquest to better things

The road to the upper echelon of the South-West Conference likely will prove a rollercoaster experience for the New Milford High School girls' basketball team.

Eleven straight defeats to start the 2009-10 season reminded coach Bill Kersten and his inexperienced hardcourt crew of that inescapable reality.

Yet a 54-45 victory last Friday over host Oxford possibly cued the Green Wave to the fact that success might be just around the corner if they stay focused and learn the basics of the game.

"Although it hasn't shown in the win column until the Oxford game, I'm happy with the girls progress this season," reflected coach Kersten. "The girls who haven't played for us before have had a tremendous amount to learn, both technically and tactically, and everyone has been working very hard to become better players."

Heading into Friday's exhilirating `W,' the NMHS girls had played ever-improving defense but were consistently undone by their inability put the ball in the basket.

"The first half of the Oxford game (falling behind, 17-5) was a snapshot of what has plagued us all year," frowned coach Kersten, "and that was scoring. We've had plenty of very good looks, but have really struggled to finish."

A few key second-half baskets were supplemented in Oxford by a remarkably clutch performance at the foul line by the Green Wave, featuring Jane Thompson's 11-of-12 effort.

Kaitlyn Flynn and Thompson have been NMHS' top scorers to date while Melissa Judson and Kaitlin Kisling have played solid interior defense and lent their rebounding talents to the cause.

Coach Kersten credits Erin Kersten and Caroline Habjan with being the squad's shutdown defenders.

"Kelsey Heaton has been carrying the brunt of running the team," he added, "and much of our improvement has been because she has been taking better care of the ball."

A talented Pomperaug squad made sure the Green Wave didn't get too high after Friday's victory by administering a 76-15 lesson Tuesday at NMHS.

Still, as the girls gear up for a home date this evening (Friday) at 7 p.m. with New Fairfield, the NMHS bench boss is encouraging his athletes to see the bigger picture.

"We're setting the foundation for our program this year," coach Kersten said, "and we believe there are a couple of more wins for us to finish up our year, and set us up for a much better year in terms of wins next year."

-- Norm Cummings