Carmel Made Strides Toward Gold Ball

CARMEL—When winning a gold ball is the goal, losing in the semifinals can be a big disappointment.

Above: Brittany Horne. Right: The Rams closed their season at the Westchester County Center. SKIP PEARLMAN But despite the fact that the Carmel High girls saw their quest for a Class AA championship end with a semifinal loss to Mt. Vernon, there’s no denying the Lady Rams had a standout season. And reaching the County Center – for just the second time in the program’s history – was a major accomplishment.

Carmel, which closed at 16- 5, also won the League 1-B title for the second consecutive season.

“I think we met our expectations,” Rams 13th-year coach Dan O’Hare said. “Our overall goal was to win the gold ball, but getting to the County Center was probably kind of like our 1A goal… and knowing who was in our league, winning a league title was also a nice accomplishment. We were returning some veteran players, and with their experience I think they had a settling effect. It was definitely one of our better seasons.”

SKIP PEARLMAN Four Rams earned post-season honors.

Junior forward Brittany Horne continued her development into one of the section’s most dangerous players, and earned All-Section and All-League honors for the second straight year. She also finished second in the League 1-B MVP voting (to Lakeland’s Tori Jarosz). Horne averaged 18 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and two blocks per game in her third varsity season.

“This was definitely a maturing season for her,” O’Hare said. “She had to learn that defenses would stack against her, and she learned to deal with that pressure. It was a big part of her maturity.”

Senior point guard and team captain Kim Broccoli also had a strong season, averaging nine points and four assists per game. Broccoli was named All-Section Honorable Mention and All-League.

Kim Broccoli “She’s the hand that steadied the team,” the coach said. “She ran our offense, and was a very quiet leader, but commanded tremendous respect from the underclassmen.”

Senior team captain and guard Marie Mullen, a third-year varsity player, was another key piece of the Rams’ puzzle, averaging 10 points an outing. She was Carmel’s leading free throw shooter as far as percentage, and finished second in three-point goals with 24.

“She’s a fearless player,” O’Hare said of Mullen. “She’s not afraid to take the ball inside, and she came up huge in some of our most difficult games – like Lourdes and Ossining.”

Sophomores Nikki Oliver and Sabrina Diaz were named All-League Honorable Mention. Oliver averaged seven points and eight rebounds a game, and Diaz, a point guard, chipped in with seven points and two assists an outing.

Marie Mullen SKIp PEARLMAN O’Hare also mentioned contributions from several other players, including seniors Catie Grace, Kristen Knolker and Tiffani Gonzalez. “Catie was our defensive specialist,” O’Hare said. “She guarded the opponent’s best player, and against (Mt. Vernon’s) Taylor Palmer, held her in single digits in both contests. Kristen would have been a four-year starter, but she had a serious concussion and had to sit out until the Mt. Vernon game. But she was a terrific teammate. We lost some depth with her injury… she’s very dedicated. And Tiffani didn’t get much playing time, but she was also a terrific teammate, very consistent in practice, and not a complainer.”

Carmel loses five seniors to graduation, including three starters, but O’Hare believes he has the players that can make Carmel a force next winter.

“We’re going to have high expectations,” O’Hare said. “We have sophomores and juniors who worked hard, and will have a chance to break into the rotation. Brittany Horne and Sam Parlatto will be our captains. Sam is a very hard worker, and will have an opportunity to increase her playing time, and Brittany… she’s an established player and I think she’ll handle herself very well as a two-time All-Section player.”