Dartmouth - The Dartmouth girls basketball team set a goal at the beginning of the year to be one of the best teams in the area. They finished their season at U Mass Boston in the Division 1 South Sectional Finals with a reputation as one of the best teams in the state.
“It was a great ride”, said 6 year head coach Jeff Hoyle, “one that will make us set our sites even higher next season when we return a more experienced and still hungry team.”
Indeed the Indians have the potential to return much of their line up. Captain Meghan Sullivan was the lone senior starter on the squad. “Meg will be hard to replace,” said Hoyle, “She’s been our best defender three years running and was one of our top rebounders. She was our Dave Cowens Award nominee, and an Eastern Athletic Conference and a Standard Times all star selection. With those individual honors as well as our trip to the finals, that’s a great way to end her high school basketball career.”
The Indians also lose seniors Krystal Cabral and Jeana Baptiste. “Krystal was always one of the first off the bench. She’s a tough player, boxes out well and could get herself to the line. Jeana gave us that outside scoring threat to keep the opposition defense honest,” said Hoyle.
Returning will be 80% of the starting rotation led by juniors Steph Sylvia who led the team in assists and steals and Rachael Davis the teams second leading scorer. Both players were selected to play in the first ever EAC vs. the Hocomock league all star game. “They’ve played varsity for 3 years. Steph does a little of everything for us,” said Hoyle. “And Rachael can score inside or out. They just seem to get better every year.”
Also back will be the two starting sophomores, Stacey Furtado, the teams leading 3 point shooter and all star center Jessica Smith. “Jess had another great year for us. She led the team in scoring, blocks and rebounds and was second on the team in assists. She’s a two time league and Standard Times all star (a “Super Team” selection) and this year was a Boston Globe and Fall River Herald News player of the week. Stacey did a great job stepping into the starting line up. Her season long steady improvement was one of the keys to the teams success. Both have a desire to excel which will help us in the future.”
Another major factor in that team success was the play of the Dartmouth bench. Junior shooting guard and DHS track star Crystal Roderiquez , a speedy defender, came in to games and gave the opposition fits. Freshmen Tricie Caslin and Lauren Goyette moved up to varsity six games into the season and had an immediate impact combining for 10 points a game between them. “I tell you, it’s a great feeling as a coach to know you can go to the bench and come in with depth like we had. Whether these girls played 5 minutes or most of the game, they came off the bench with an intensity and desire that always gave the team a lift.”
Also coming off the bench for the Indians were juniors Kate Souza, Laura Deland and Justine Sylvia. “You can’t emphasize enough the importance of the bench in games and in practice. They’re the ones who push the starters. Their the ones who press them, make them play defense and execute our offense. What helped this team was that everyone had a role from the #1 starter to the last on the bench. If players accept their role and give it their all, you’ll have a good year. If they don’t, you’ve got troubles and complaints.”
Hoyle believes a lot of the team success can be traced back to off season work. “Last summer these girls, in addition to their individual workouts, played in summer leagues in Taunton and in Fall River. Some even played on other teams besides that. That’s demonstrates their commitment to excel.” Hoyle pointed out his appreciation to Tom Halstead and Royal Harvest Seafood of New Bedford who helped sponsor the summer league play. “It’s expensive. If the girls had to pay it all out of pocket, some wouldn’t be able to participate. Any contribution helps defray the cost.”
The head coach was also very complimentary of his assistants. Assistant coach Scot Boudria’s JV team had a successful year. Led by junior twins Kayla and Katelyn Ryan, sophomore Leslie Brooks and freshman Ashley Coucci, the Indian JV squad finished as one of the area’s best with an 18-2 record. Assistant coach Rochelle Gaydou’s freshmen team had an 11 win season led by guard Katie Vieira.
In addition, Hoyle says the two assistants play a major role in the varsity success. “They help with the scouting and the game prep. We all make up the coaching staff. We all fill in where we’re needed. We’re a team. We work very well together.”
The proof of that can be found in a post season Boston Globe top ten team ranking, an 18-6 record, and a shinny new Division One South Sectional Finals Plaque in the Dartmouth High School trophy case.
