ByRob Potter
LAKE HUNTINGTON – The undefeated Monticello girls’ basketball team made quick work of inexperienced Sullivan West Wednesday night with a resounding 60-14 non-league victory.
Behind freshman Lena Episalla, The Lady Panthers outscored Sullivan West 22-4 in the first quarter en route to a 40-8 halftime lead.
From there Yadira Montes and Shamira Moore took over. Moore tallied a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 15 rebounds. Montes scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Episalla finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Also contributing for Monticello were Zequia Revell (nine rebounds, four steals) and Yamilersy Reyes (five steals, four rebounds).
“It’s been about 15 years since we started a season 4-0,” Karen Atack said. “I am happy to start the season this way. But we want to keep getting better and better.”
“Overall, I’m pleased with how we played,” Atack added. “Offensively, we played better than we have been and our defense was very good.”
“Lena [Episalla] is only a freshman, but she runs all over the court and has scored some nice baskets for us,” Atack commented. “Yadira has played very well in our first couple of games. She’s been important in our offense and is able to fill in for Shamira [Moore].
Sydney Sipple led the Lady Bulldogs (0-3) with six points, while teammate Katie Taylor netted four points.
“We’re a young team,” SW Coach Pat Donovan said. “We have six sophomores and four players returning from last season. It’s a new process for all 10 of them.”
Donovan was pleased to see that his team didn’t give up despite trailing throughout the game.
“Our kids competed for all 32 minutes,” he said. “They kept hustling the whole game.”
Donovan is also expecting the Lady Bulldogs to be better as the season continues.
“We are taking baby steps,” he explained. “We are trying to get better with each game. It’s a long process, but we’ll do it.”