By Rob Potter
March 23, 2004 – SULLIVAN WEST
LADY BULLDOGS

Overall Record: 14-6

League Record: 4-2 OCIAA Division IV

Top Scorers: Senior center Nadine McCarthy led the team, averaging 9.1 points per game. McCarthy also grabbed eight rebounds per contest. Vanessa Kline, a senior guard/forward, added eight points and six rebounds per contest and senior forward Jessica Lederman averaged seven points and eight rebounds a game.
Sophomore guard/forward Kate Fanning netted seven points per game.
Coach Ron Bernhardt noted that it was the first time in his lengthy coaching career that no member of his team averaged double figures in the scoring column for the season.
“We had six different high scorers in our games this season,” he said. “We had a balanced offensive attack.”

Season Highlight(s): Bernhardt noted that one highlight was reaching the Section IX Class B semifinals, where the Lady Bulldogs faced Red Hook.
“We were only down three points at halftime,” he said. “They were the number one ranked team in the state at that point and we were right there with them.”
The coach noted that another highlight was the team’s win over James I. O’Neill in a Division IV clash on February 17.
“That win was one we had to have to play for the division championship against [John S.] Burke,” Bernhardt said.
Although SW lost to Burke in that OCIAA Division IV title game, the team bounced back to defeat Highland in a sectional quarterfinal contest 11 days later.
Bernhardt noted that another highlight for the Lady Bulldogs was being listed in the Class B state rankings for much of the season.

Season Lowlight: Bernhardt said that his squad did not have a lowlight.
“We had a great season,” he commented. “It was a very uplifting season, we didn’t have any negatives this year.”

Other: Bernhardt said he was pleased with how this squad responded after the 2002-2003 Lady Bulldogs recorded just a handful of wins.
In the 2003-2004 season, the team’s only losses came to Burke (twice), Cornwall (twice), Newburgh and Red Hook. Newburgh went onto win the Section IX Class AA title, Cornwall captured the Section IX Class A crown and Red Hook defeated Spackenkill in the Section IX Class B championship game.
The Lady Bulldogs will lose six seniors to graduation: Madeline Argueta, Katie Cappiello, Kline, Lederman, McCarthy and Rachel Peloquin. However, Bernhardt expects returning underclassmen Cassy Busing, Jamie Clifford, Autumn Darder, Fanning and Heather Lander to form a good nucleus for the 2004-2005 SW team.
Bernhardt also praised volunteer assistant coach Kurt Scheibe and part time volunteer manager Shelisa Duquette for all of their efforts this season.
“They helped us out tremendously,” he said.