Westhampton Beach Girls Basketball Team Is Ready For The Challenge

These girls are ready to work.

While this Westhampton Beach basketball team may be less experienced than those in recent years, these Hurricanes, young and old, said they’re confident they can pull it together and find their identity.

“We look pretty good once we get going,” said senior guard Olivia Rongo. “The outcome of our first nonleague game was a little rough, but what it didn’t show was the glimpses of us looking like a good team and working together in the right ways. It was also only a week into season, and we were still getting to know each other and our strengths on the court.”

She was referring to Westhampton’s 47-26 loss at Ward Melville on November 23. Head coach Katie Peters said that she is relying on Rongo, as the sole returning starter, and the student-athlete with the most playing time of any girl on the team — she tallied nearly 100 points in eight games last season — to bring the others up to speed.

“She’s definitely being looked up to as a leader on the court and with how she approaches practices,” the coach said. “Right now, we’re building. We’re putting the pieces together. We’re getting better each day, and that’s our goal, both for these girls individually and as a team.”

Also rejoining the roster are sophomore point guard Jane Atkinson, junior small forward Kylah Avery, and senior guards Lily Berchin and Allie Parascandola. Avery, a big rebounder, saw some playing time the last few seasons, and Atkinson, who the coach said looks strong and will be relied on heavily this year, especially from three-point range, saw some minutes during a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season that was pushed to the beginning of this year.

Seniors Molly McCarthy and Molly Mensch, who have both been on the team since their freshman year, will not return this season.

“I feel confident with the returners,” Rongo said. “We’ve been playing with each other for a while and are comfortable with each other on the court. Even though it might not have been during games for all of the years in the past, practicing together and getting to know each other while running the plays was a big help.” She added, “It’s their turn now.”

Newcomers the senior thinks will make an impact include junior Madelin Bastidas, a transfer from Ecuador who Peters said “has been doing a nice job,” sophomore lefty and soccer player Sarah Gormley, and freshman Shannon Killoran, both of whom have strong ball-handling and shooting skills. Their coach said a few other underclassmen will be competing for playing time.

“We’re waiting to see who steps up,” Peters said. “But they’re ready for the challenge, and that’s a positive thing. There might be some growing pains, but overall it’ll be positive for them.”

Berchin, who is beginning her second year at the varsity level after seeing some time last season, said she sees the team on a positive trajectory and is happy to be a part of it.

“I think we all will definitely gel together and eventually play well together, and as a senior I’m happy and excited to take charge and be a leader,” the shooting guard said. “Being that this is my last season, I really want to make it count and leave everything on the court.”

Parascandola, a softball standout who was called upon for basketball playoffs her freshman year, said with a team full of athletes, it just comes down to honing their basketball skills.

“I want to be confident every time I step on the court,” she said. “But I’ve also realized that you just have to set a good example for the younger players, and play to the best of your ability, and they will follow.”

But there will also need to be some adjustments made, especially with the team being more guard-heavy.

“We had to adjust our plays and some people’s positions to fit what the structure of our team is this year, but while the scrimmages and nonleague game have started out rough, we’re finding our rhythm,” Rongo said. “Especially on defense. We’re really starting to see it come together. The dynamic of the team is different than in past years, so it was definitely taking some getting used to. But while last year we had a bunch of great players, the younger girls are already following in their footsteps.”

Westhampton was slated to host Sayville in a nonleague game on Tuesday. The Hurricanes travel to Riverhead for a 4 p.m. nonleague game on Monday, December 6, before hosting Deer Park in the first League V game of the season next Thursday, December 9. Opening tipoff is also scheduled for 4 p.m.