Mahopac Girls Endure Tough Season

Brittany Craig SKIP PEARLMAN SKIP The Mahopac High School girls basketball team stumbled to an 0-18 record this season. However, there were some good things that came out of it that should help the Indians improve next season, according to coach Jerry Fioretti.

Mahopac, which went 0-10 in League 1-B, was a very young team this season. Because of that, there were many bumps along the way that were mainly due to the players’ lack of varsity experience.

“The good I saw was the attitude of the kids,” Fioretti said. “They never stopped trying. Some kids improved throughout the season. There was good work ethic, good attitude.”

Two of Mahopac’s players received All-League Honorable Mention honors.

Caitlin Hynes, a junior guard who moved to point guard during the season, and junior forward Brittany Craig, who was also a team co-captain, were recognized for their toughness and leadership.

PEARLMAN SKIP Caitlin Hynes PEARLMAN SKIP PEARLMAN Craig averaged five points, 5.7 rebounds, and seven assists per game while Hynes averaged five points, five rebounds, and two assists for each contest.

Fioretti pointed out that Hynes played very sparingly as a member of the varsity team her freshman year. She then suffered a knee injury and did not play at all during her sophomore year. This season she was determined to stay on the court no matter what, despite being a little banged up at times.

“Coming into this season, Caitlin had 15 minutes of varsity playing time,” Fioretti noted. “She just pushed through it and was not going to accept not playing, not trying, not giving effort.”

He pointed out that Hynes accepted a position change to point guard during the season, which is not the easiest thing to do.

“We needed somebody to stabilize the position and she did that,” said Fioretti. “She did yeomen’s work.”

Craig usually had the tough job of defending the opponent’s biggest player down low in the post. Despite being shorter than most of the players she was defending, she usually managed to hold her own, especially when it came to rebounding. According to Fioretti, there were quite a few games in which she had 10 or more rebounds, including one in which she gathered 16, and another in which she grabbed 13.

“She was typically playing against kids bigger than her,” Fioretti said. “In our league we have tough post players.”

He also credited senior guard and co-captain Alexa Madden with always giving her best and being an excellent role model for the younger players because of her work ethic.

“She came out every game, every practice and worked hard,” Fioretti commented. “She is a really good leader and was an all-star worker.”

Madden, who was a starter, was Mahopac’s only senior.

That means that most of the team will be coming back next year. Fioretti believes that the playing time they logged this season will definitely pay off next season because they will have more varsity experience under their belts.

Fioretti said that he is confident that the team will be better next season, adding that he has not given up on any of his players because he believes that they do have ability. It is just a matter of helping them put it all together to be the best players that they can be.

“You can never give up on them because you do not know when it is going to click for them,” Fioretti noted.

He added that there will be some players coming up from the junior varsity team who should be able to play a role on the varsity next season. “We will have a couple of kids who I think can help us,” Fioretti said.

Working to improve their skills during the off-season is the most important thing that the Mahopac players can do to make sure that the team improves next season, according to the coach. Fioretti pointed out that many of them will be playing AAU basketball in the summer and fall. Some of them also play spring sports at school.

If his players do the work that they are supposed to do, Fioretti does not see any reason why his team should not show improvement next season. “I would expect improvement,” he said.