Before the girls’ basketball season started, Saint John Vianney High School was widely considered the best team in New Jersey.
Six games in, the Lancers have exceeded expectations. They are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents by an average of almost 40 points per game, 65.6 to 26.6.
On Jan. 4 at home, Saint John Vianney beat a very good Red Bank Regional High School team by 48, 70-22. The Lancers pressured the Buccaneers into turnovers and bad shots. They also created open looks for themselves in the paint.
It was textbook team basketball. Four Lancers players, Sajada Bonner (13), Rahmena Henderson (10), Katie Hill (10) and Madison Saint Rose (10), scored in double figures. Brelynn Bellamy added eight points. Four other players scored, too.
But after the game, the Lancers showed why they should be able to keep dominating this winter. They were confident but humble. Fully aware of how good they are, but laser focused on the few areas where they can still improve.
“We played with energy and we played together as a unit,” Bonner said. “But there are some things we need to fix up a little bit.”
“We’re at a good place but we got to get a lot better for (the Non-Public A state tournament), so we’re working every day,” Henderson said. “The main thing is working on our defense and perfecting that.”
When asked to name an area where the Lancers could improve on defense, the team’s point guard, Sarah Karpell, the daughter of Saint John Vianney coach Dawn Karpell, spoke up immediately.
“Communicating on defense,” Karpell said. “Talking to each other.”
“Rotating on the floor,” Bonner added.
“Moving as a unit,” Henderson added.
The Lancers were also not satisfied with their offensive performance. They rarely settle for long two pointers or bad shots in general. Yet, they are aiming to create high percentage looks on every possession.
“Getting into the paint more,” Bonner said. “We all know we can shoot, but we need to start attacking more.”
Saint John Vianney is confident that it can beat anyone in the state. The Lancers are pretty sure they can beat anyone from outside New Jersey, too.
They beat their only opponent from outside the Garden State, the Staten Island Academy of New York, by double digits, 53-37, on Dec. 27.
“For sure we feel like we can beat anyone,” Henderson said.
“If we play our game, we definitely can,” Karpell said.
Like most teams at this level, the Lancers are competing against themselves. Going undefeated is not a topic of discussion just yet. But it could be very soon.
Some difficult opponents are still looming on the horizon, though, like University High School on Jan. 12, Red Bank Catholic High School on Feb. 11 and various out of state counterparts. So, the Lancers will, as they continuously reiterate, have to keep getting better.
But they like where they are so far, and they are confident in their ability to continue developing.
“Overall we’ve done good,” Henderson said.
“We’ve been working on a lot of things in practice and we’ve been able to execute them,” Karpell added.
