By Wayne Witkowski
Kali Hartshorn, who was an integral figure in Allentown High School’s girls’ basketball team’s 20-win seasons the last three years, as well as Bianca Santos, Hope Narozniak and Camille Flim are all graduated.
Hartshorn is off to a college career playing lacrosse at the University of Maryland after an all-state high school season last spring with 71 goals. Younger sister Marin Hartshorn, a junior, keeps the family name in the starting lineup for the fifth straight year for the Redbirds, who opened their season Dec. 16 with a 62-56 victory at home over Steinert High School.
Marin Hartshorn is a 5-foot-10 junior who can play point guard and forward, and she may start some games at point guard, where her older sister started, and other games at forward. Lauren Coiante is expected to play at the point most of the season and has impressed during the preseason, despite being only a sophomore.
“It’s going really well. If Lauren keeps coming along, we’ll be fine. She really sees the floor well,” coach Linda Weise said. “We’re lacking experience there as well as in our depth. And we have to be able to replace the 25 points a game we lost between Kali and Bianca for last season.”
Three starters from last season return, including guards Ryan Weise, a junior and daughter of the coach whose 3-point range led to a 14-point average, and senior captain Sarina Campanella, who fired in eight points a game. There’s also 5-foot-11 junior Katie White, who worked her way into the starting lineup last season with a solid inside presence alongside Santos.
Hadley Borkowski, a 5-foot-11 junior, is the other starting forward.
They sparked Allentown to a runner-up finish in the Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division with a 21-7 campaign that ended in a second-round loss in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III tournament to conference rival Hopewell Valley Central High School. The Redbirds were moved this season to the Valley Division.
Weise scored 25 points and Coiante scored 10 in the victory over Steinert.
“We’re a young team but coming well together,” said Campanella, who hit two crucial baskets in the second half that restored six-point leads. as Steinert repeatedly battled back. “We showed good ball movement and transitioned well on offense, [which] kept us ahead most of the game. They came back to tie it once, but we kept our composure.”
Despite the new starters, coach Weise is excited about her team’s prospects for a run to another division championship.
“It’s a great group of girls with great chemistry. I really like the way the way they get along and share the basketball. I’m looking forward to getting things started,” Weise said.
“I think with our chemistry, we’ll do really well,” Campanella said. “We just have to be careful with fouls because we’re not very deep with experience, but we have good shooters.”
Allentown was scheduled for a game at Nottingham High School Dec. 20 and plays its home opener at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 22 against West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. The Redbirds then go to the Bridgewater-Raritan High School showcase against Pope John XXIII Regional High School at 3 p.m. on Dec. 27 and against Montgomery High School at 1 p.m. Dec. 29.
The untested bench includes junior forwards Caralyn Caine, who is 5 feet 10 inches tall, and Julianna Golden, who is 5 feet 11 inches tall. There’s also guards Giovanno Carotenuto (sophomore) and Vanessa Rodriguez (freshman).
Despite changes in the lineup, particularly at point guard, where Kali Hartshorn kept things running smoothly last season, Weise said the approach will be the same of looking to score off an uptempo transition offense. The defense will look to mix it up on pressure and half-court defenses, depending on the foul situation, Weise said.
With the boys’ basketball team enjoying a surge in recent seasons and the wrestling team coming off its best season in many years, Weise said the girls’ team is looking to feed off the heightened enthusiasm from the school community again during the winter season. The Allentown community also is abuzz coming off the school’s fall season, during which the football team won the school’s first state championship by beating Brick Township High School soundly for the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III title at Rutgers University earlier this month.
“It was great being there for that and fun for our kids and to see what it did for our community,” Weise said. “I’d like for us to do that for our team.”
Ice hockey
Josh Rosenbaum and Brian Eider each scored twice and Shawn Camisa and Brian D’Auria each had two assists as Robbinsville/Allentown high schools co-op ice hockey team beat winless Steinert, 6-2, Dec. 13.
Justin Cooper stopped 23 shots in goal for the Ravens (5-3).
