Friday, December 18, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Senior Desiree Rosa is one of three talented guards in Dumont starting lineup.

DUMONT – After a successful season in a tough BCSL-American Division last year and a run to the North 1, Group 2 state sectional semifinal, the question coming into this season is what can the Dumont girls basektball team do for an encore? Led by senior guards Jaclyn McClinton and Desiree Rosa, they have their sights set on contending for both league and section titles.

Desiree will not be the only Rosa in the backcourt as junior Katherine Rosa joins her in the starting rotation. Those two, along with McClinton, give the Huskies three legitimate players who can play either of the guard spots.

“The strength of our team is that we can shoot the ball and we have three players who can bring the ball up the floor and run the offense,” said Dumont head coach Dave Cieplicki. “We have experience and confidence at the guard spot. If we can take care of the ball and we shoot the ball well, we will be a tough team.”

Katherine Rosa will get plenty of three-point opportunities in Dumont's run-and-gun attack.

Dumont’s fast-paced style of play and its penchant for shooting three-pointers can give fits to its opponents, but also comes due to necessity. The Lady Huskies have only three players over 5-6 on the roster and will need those players, including 5-9 junior center April Gucene, to keep the Huskies from getting killed on the boards.

Dumont also has sophomore guard Daijaene Green, who will come off the bench and provide a spark with her quickness. There is no doubt about the offensive talent of the Huskies, but how far they will go this season will come down to how well they play defensively.

“We’re all working really hard, but if we don’t box out it won’t matter,” said Desiree Rosa. “We aren’t the biggest team, so we have to do a good job of boxing out and rebounding. We have a lot of players that can shoot, so if we can force teams to play fast every game, we will have a really good season.”

After several years of dominance by Rutherford, the BCSL-American Division will have a lot more parity this season with teams like Tenafly and River Dell, along with Dumont, who are the front runners to contend for the final league championship. The Huskies have plenty of reasons for motivation, but it is mainly for the four seniors (Emily Emmit, Tina Zaggia, Desiree Rosa, and McClinton) who have worked for four years to get to this point.

Jaclyn McClinton and the Dumont seniors are looking to make a deep playoff run this season.

“Even though I’m not a senior, us younger players want to have a great season for the seniors,” said Katherine Rosa. “They are such good leaders and they make us work harder because we want to win the league for them more than anything else.”

Not only is the BCSL-American Division crown up for grabs, so is the North 1, Group 2 state section. Dumont fell to eventual champion and heavily-favored Pascack Hills in the section semifinal round last year. This year, there are seven or eight teams who have a shot at making a run to the section title. For the four seniors, a league and/or a section title would be the perfect end to their scholastic careers.

The Lady Huskies will open their season tonight at Cliffside Park.

“We know it will be tough, but we know we can possibly win the league and (North 1 Group 2) if we play our best,” said Jaclyn McClinton. “All the hard work we put in over the past year, and for us seniors over the past four years, was for this season. Hopefully, we can accomplish all of our goals and finish the season as champions.”

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