High School Girls Basketball

BY ADAM RONIS

For the second consecutive season, St. John the Baptist stared a daunting challenge in the eyes and didn't blink. SJB ended the 17-year reign of Christ the King as state champions last season and knocked off St. Michael Academy (Manhattan), 63-49, tonight in a CHSAA AA semifinal at the College of Staten Island. St. Michael is ranked No. 8 in the country by USA Today.

"They're all athletic and can play," said Felicia Joyner, who had 17 points. "We knew we had to play real good defense to win."

They certainly did. SJB led throughout and illustrated how team basketball is played. SJB went 25-for-29 from the foul line, didn't force anything on offense and worked the shot clock smartly and played good defense. St. Michael Academy is one of the biggest high school teams I have seen. They are very athletic and talented, but play too much one-on-one. SJB did the complete opposite.

"We were very patient and rotated the ball," Joyner said.

SJB doesn't strike you as a dominant team, but when you watch them play, all the pieces fit together well. Dani Iervolino is one of the toughest 5-3 girls you will see. She took an elbow to the nose, winced in pain briefly, but never left the floor. She went 10-for-11 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to help seal it and finished with 15 points.

"They're definitely one of the most athletic and quick teams we played," Iervolino said. "I'm 5-3 and there's nothing I can do about that. I just have to get it out of my head and play basketball."

Said Christine Huber: "We worked real well as a team. Everyone needed to step up and did. Everybody guarded well."

Kathryn Cronin wasn't intimidated by the stark contrast in the size of the teams.

"I don't think about that," she said. "I knew if we work as a team, we can beat anyone."

Added coach Ted Oberg: "They don't care who the high scorer is. We look to pound it inside, but we don't force it in. It's a really unbelievable group. The last two days we told them we would win by double digits if we executed our game plan. We've knocked off nationally ranked opponents every year."