Vernon girls basketball relying on youth

VERNON — If someone on the outside of the Vernon High School girls' basketball program were to comment on the Vikings’ performance so far this season strictly on wins and losses, they may say that they are struggling.

While the Vikings have been hard pressed to earn victories against tough competition this winter, something that shouldn’t be questioned is the true effort that they give not only during games, but in practices as well.

It’s safe to say that there is plenty of youth on the Vikings’ roster this winter.

“We have 10 solid sophomores and juniors who make up our team for this season," Vernon head coach Bill Foley said. “We have no superstars. On any given night, we can start any one of our 10 players. With no seniors in the mix, we are hoping to establish a winning formula for the years to come. Our motto this year is ‘a job worth doing is worth doing together’.

Members of the junior and sophomore classes have demonstrated leadership abilities this season.

“The team is led by junior captains Courtney Furrey and Jenna MacDonald and sophomore captain Julia Dehnert," Foley said. “Courtney plays the guard position and, at times, plays both the shooting guard and point guard. Courtney has played varsity since her freshmen year and I rely heavily on her for game experience within this young group. Jenna is a shooting guard who has a nice shooting touch from the perimeter. She is one of our vocal leaders out on the floor who works very hard in practice and is a good role model for the younger kids.

“Julia has been a pleasant surprise for us," Foley added. "She was able to get some varsity experience as a freshman and has worked very hard in the off-season developing her skills. She is one of the hardest workers in the program. Junior guard Taryn Schofield and forward Kate Dulmer see plenty of action. Junior Kelsey Hall adds depth at the forward position but has been out most of the season with a concussion. Sophomore guards Victoria Gonzalez, Brianna White and McKenzie Alter and forward Amber Paulison all add significant minutes to our varsity group."

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Vernon has a road game scheduled against Morris Hills.

“We are still looking to put a complete game together," Foley said. “Our best two quarters of basketball took place against Pope John (on Jan. 9) in which we took a tie game into the half against one of the better teams in the area. They eventually wore us down in the second half and we lost 44-28, but it was a game in which we took a lot of positives out of and we are hoping to build from small victories at this point and continue to play at a more consistent level each night."