PV Deals with Controversy and Record

PUTNAM VALLEY—The Putnam Valley high girls basketball team had a rough season, it started when the Tigers found out their new league alignments matched them up with Peekskill, Ossining, Hen Hud and Croton. That’s a tough league for anybody, especially a team that lacks size down low and had to replace more than half of its scoring from the year before.

Coach Kelly Thompson talks to the Tigers during a timeout. The Tigers finished with a 4-14 overall record and a 1-5 record in their league.

Putnam Valley just needed to win one of their last two games to make the playoffs, unfortunately their season would come to an end when the team made a controversial decision to forfeit those last two games amid some problems within the team. Because of that decision the team did not have any players receive post season honors.

“We were told we couldn’t nominate anybody for awards” said coach Kelly Thompson.

“Every kid brought something different to the team,” said Thompson. “Dana Tatnell was a point guard who handled the ball well but also led the team in rebounding. Ashley Marks brought toughness, she played hard every minute of every game and never took a play off. Carey Berry showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, Rachel Fitzgerald was a defensive stopper all year and towards the end of the season her scoring improved as well. Everyone contributed in some way.”

Berry led the team in scoring at 11 per game and was third in rebounds at 6.3 per game, Tatnell led the team in rebounds with 7.3 per game and assists with 2.9 a game, Marks was second in rebounds with 6.7 per game.

Despite the disappointing record, Thompson was proud of the way her team played. “Emotionally it was an up and down year. Our core group was really starting to play better toward the end of the season, unfortunately that was when we were playing some of the best teams.”

For most of the season Put Valley only had seven girls on the roster. They will lose only one senior, starting Forward Ashley Marks.

“We have pretty much the same players coming back,” said Thompson. “Hopefully they go out and work to get better over the off season and we can pick up where we left off, add some players and be better next year.”