The St. Joe’s women’s club basketball team ended their season last month with a six-game win streak, posting a final 6-10 record.
Sophomore guard and captain Sarah Puzone, said the team’s playing style emphasizes playing as a unit, while specifically focusing on their defense. The key is putting pressure on the opposing offense by trapping the ball handlers, alongside a fast-paced aggressive offense, she said.
“Playing aggressive, playing smart and playing together is how we secure the win,” Puzone said.
During their regular season, their toughest opponent was Villanova University, who they matched up with twice, losing 55-31 and 31-30.
These were two tough losses for the team, and without centralized athletic guidance, the leadership had to come from all of the players rather than one individual coach.
“Managing that [not having a coach] could be tough, but I think it’s been helpful as we’ve grown and continued on because we kind of figured out a system and we’re comfortable with each other,” Puzone said.
After 10 consecutive losses, the team ended up winning their last six games, including Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University and Rowan University.
“We had gone on a run,” said first year guard Bridget Carter. “Towards the end of the season, we went to Georgetown, and those were two really good games down there.”
The Hawks will look to the future to build on their success at the end of the season. With many returning players and a younger team maturing, a dominating team seems likely next season.
“I feel like we’re going to be very successful next year because everyone’s coming back besides the two seniors,” said senior guard Victoria Sciortino.
For Carter, that means working on both personal and team goals.
“I want to get more confident in shooting,” Carter said. “In high school, I was a shooter, and I’m slowly getting back into that rhythm. As a team, to communicate more, be more vocal on the court. That’s pretty much a universal goal for everybody out there.”