Waldron Drops 17
to Lead Blue Devils
A sense of uncertainty gripped Louis D. Giani Gymnasium when the Huntington girls’ basketball team took the court for its first game of the season. The Blue Devils graduated their entire starting line-up from last year’s county runner-up squad, so fans weren’t sure what to expect.
After an uneven start, Huntington answered any questions by making key shots, playing solid defense and building a 17-point second half lead, on its way to topping Our Lady of Mercy Academy, 46-31.
Huntington was buoyed by recent transfer, Jackie Waldron, who connected for 17 points. Meredith McCourt added 14 points. “I am pretty happy with the results,” head coach Brad Reminick said. “This being our first game, to get a win is great.”
The varsity squad includes many newcomers. “This team really has not played together before and I saw some really nice things,” Reminick said after the game. “They are a hard working bunch. I don’t mean this in a negative way, but there is no real shine or sparkle with this group. All they care about is playing hard and winning. They come to the gym every night and get their work done.”
Huntington started slow but after eight minutes, was ahead of Our Lady of Mercy, 13-7. The lead grew to 27-20 by halftime before the Blue Devils opened it up in the third quarter. The small crowd showed its excitement by cheering every play.
“All the hoopla and press we have had in recent years is gone,” Reminick said. “This group doesn’t care about any of that. We will be very competitive this year and we will out-work teams, which will lead to wins. I can’t say enough about their workmanlike mentality. It’s all about defense again and I like that style.”
Waldron played with the Blue Devils earlier in her scholastic career before transferring to St. Anthony’s. Now she’s back and she had a hot hand in the season opener. “She plays so hard and never up on a play,” Reminick said in a post-game interview. “We are very fortunate to have her on this team and we are going to lean on her a lot throughout the year if we are to be successful.”
McCourt was impressive, too. “I can’t say enough about Meredith,” Reminick said. “She is going to be the glue that keeps us together this year. She scored 14 points and did it without any flash. She’s truly the leader of this team.”
Senior Lauren Visbal, who pulled down 10 rebounds and dropped in six points, played with confidence. “She’s really coming into her own,” Reminick said. “She’s one of the best athletes on the team and is going to be a force for us down low. Lauren’s doing a great job with this group vocally this year.”
Emma Hayes-Hurley, who had three points and six assists, continues to learn the varsity point guard position. “She has what every good point guard should have: attitude,” Reminick said. “She plays equally hard on defense and will be a major factor. She learned a lot last year as a back-up and could have a break-out year.”
Another important piece in Huntington’s puzzle is freshman Raynisha Witherspoon, who also netted a half-dozen points. She’ll be used as both the guard and forward positions. “She plays the game extremely hard and did some very nice things defensively for us,” Reminick said. “I expect her to build on her tremendous JV season last year.”
Just what Huntington can accomplish this year is really unknown. But, fans can expect to see a hard-playing and fundamentally strong team that will go after every opponent and never surrender, regardless of the odds or expectations. Reminick can’t ask for more.
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