By Wayne Witkowski
Haley Dalonzo, who sat out the second half of last season recovering from knee surgery, is back and ready to help lead a rebuilding Middletown High School South girls’ basketball team moving on without four-year starter Stephanie Karcz — a state-caliber player off to a college career as a freshman starter at Loyola University.
“I feel I’m there,” Dalonzo said of her comeback. “I’m definitely happy with where I’m at. I’m not hesitant out there [on the court].”
Dalonzo and fellow senior Alexandra Balsamo anchor a team moved to the even-more competitive Shore Conference B North Division that includes fellow state powers Manalapan High School and Red Bank Catholic High School. Crosstown rival Middletown High School North also moves to B North.
Isla Brennan, who conquered a baptism of fire at point guard as a starting freshman, also returns from last year’s 25-5 team that won a fourth straight championship in A North, a third straight NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III title and a return trip to the Group III finals, where the Eagles lost handily to the same Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan team they beat two years ago for their first state title.
Middletown South opens with three division games, starting Dec. 16 at Long Branch High School before a game at home against Wall High School Dec. 19 and at Monmouth Regional High School Dec. 22. The team then heads to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida Dec. 26 to play three games in the KSA Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Middletown South also played at the Orlando resort in 2012 and 2010.
Head coach Tom Brennan also is back on the bench, where he returned late last season after missing 11 games recovering from heart surgery. In 21 seasons, he is 336-154. Assistant coach Jesse Chalmers compiled a 10-1 record while stepping in for Brennan.
“It’s a work in progress. We’re gutted by graduation,” Brennan said.
Integral players Brianna Naughton and Julia Valkos also are departed — the latter off to a track and field career in the jumping events for the indoor season at Cornell University.
“The core of this group has a ton of experience, and we have youth coming in that will help us right away,” Brennan said. “Judge us at the end of January when the freshmen have games under their belt.”
Isla Brennan also sees a different group from her perspective as point guard.
“It’s a different group where we have to focus even more on working together,” she said. “Instead of it being one player in certain situations, everyone has to be able to contribute at any time.”
There are only three seniors on this season’s team and no juniors. The starting lineup also likely will include two freshmen who will need to learn quickly: Stephanie Mayerhofer, a left-handed shooting guard like Karcz who has exceptional quickness, and Kayla Richardson, a 5-foot-9 player who will be called upon to move into different positions like many other players on the team will do.
“I’m pleased with how quickly the freshmen are picking it up,” coach Brennan said. “Isla and Stephanie work well together. And Kayla’s versatility makes things easier for us rather than her being pigeon-holed into one position. Kayla has a high basketball IQ but has to learn our basketball IQ here.”
Although Isla Brennan gained ample experience and averaged eight points a game on a team with proven scorers, she still is a young player more susceptible to mistakes, and she and the two freshmen will work to reduce the errors that crop up more often in the early going as they get in sync and familiar with the schemes.
“The thing is, [Isla] stayed composed on the court last season knowing what she was going through emotionally at home,” coach Brennan said, referring to his cardiac recovery. “It made her stronger emotionally and is manifested now in all things beyond basketball. She rebounds well for a guard and has set high expectations for herself.”
Senior guard Roberta Montes and 6-foot sophomore center Eve Pirie are going for spots in the rotation along with another versatile player in 5-foot-9 sophomore Sam Keenan, as coach Brennan said they will be part of a different look on defense.
“[Karcz] was such an impactful defensive player; it allowed us to be more reckless to take away teams’ options. And now we’re more traditional,” he said. “We’ll be much more scout-[report] driven to what’s our strategy to take away teams’ first and second options. Early on, we’ll be trying to figure out what we can have defensively.”
Pirie will offer her own brand of versatility, as Brennan said she will face the basket more and step back — even to the 3-point line.
“She needs to rebound more aggressively with more physicality and to use that soft [shooting] touch along with her inside post moves,” Brennan said. “The faster she grasps that will be a huge difference-maker for us.”
Brennan said Montes also rebounds well as a 5-foot-7 guard, as she brings tenacity on both ends of the court with her high energy.
“Definitely by the end of the season, we can keep up with some more rounded teams in the Shore Conference by playing in a tougher division and if we stay healthy,” Dalonzo said.
“This year, we’ll be definitely different. Last year we looked up to the seniors and this year, we’re very young. So there’s definitely a learning curve. In our rotation, we won’t have many people coming off the bench right now.”
“I only had a small amount of time, a small window, playing with Haley last season, and it’s so exciting with the way she plays so strong and so hard,” Isla Brennan said. “And having Roberta, who did not play last year, back on the team as a senior brings us closer [together] as well.”
Dalonzo is eager to take on the challenge as one of the leaders with Balsamo, a second-team All-Shore player averaging 17 points and five rebounds a game last season whose height at 5 feet 9 inches tall and good strength makes her as capable in the front court as her ball handling and deft shooting touch playing either guard spot.
Even while recovering with surgery last season, Dalonzo gave her teammates her emotional support at games.
“It was definitely frustrating, especially when the team got down to the final Group III games. It was hard to sit on the bench, and I thought we could’ve gone farther [and won it],” Dalonzo said.
That frustration carried over to her rehab, where she and coach Brennan, while coming back from heart surgery, shared their frustrating down times and emotionally supported each other.
“We texted back and forth to motivate each other. With the little accomplishments on his end along the way, it pushed me,” Dalonzo said. “Every day [early on], I had physical therapy and doing the same routine got boring because I knew I could push myself to go farther. Then, I’d do strength and conditioning two or three times a week. It definitely paid off coming back.”
It will pay off for the entire team in its typically demanding schedule and challenge to uphold its quality of excellence that’s been raised in recent years.
