Calhoun seeks strong finish

Now that the Calhoun girls’ basketball team is close to whole, its fortunes could be on the uptick. 

With its premier player, senior point guard Ashleigh Coyne decimated for a month by bouts with Covid-19 and the flu, Calhoun is off to a 4-7 start. Last Friday’s 53-39 conference loss to Elmont was the first game Coyne said she felt close to 100 percent as she scored 12 points with 5 assists. 

 Coyne missed games and played others in a weakened state after having serious Covid symptoms such as full body aches. She’s hopeful her recurring health woes are over. In limited action, she’s still averaging 10.3 points and 4 assists. 

“It was really frustrating,” Coyne said. “It’s my senior year. Even missing a practice is really upsetting for me. I want all the time I can possibly get. I want to be able to play in a game where I’m not feeling rundown and feel healthy and good.’’

In an effort to get well, Coyne didn’t leave the house during the holiday break. “It was pretty difficult,’’ she said. “I honestly spent the entire break resting and not doing much – sleeping, layjng around. I definitely feel much better.  I’m the best I’ve felt in a while and pretty much 100 percent now.’’

At 3-2 in Conference AA2, Calhoun wants to vault to an overall winning record like last season’s 11-9 squad. But the Colts lost their three top scorers from last season’s team and also suffered a season-ending knee injury to Angelica Kasimatis. 

 “We’ve been up and down,’’ head oach Dan Catapano said. “Once Ashleigh’s finally healthy, hopefully we’ll turn this thing around. She’s never been 100 percent. 

“She’s a four-year varsity player with a ton of experience.  When you have your best player as your point guard, she drives the whole thing. We’ll go as she goes.’’

In the interim, Dana Wauchhope and Gabby Facciponti tried picking up the slack. Wauchhope is averaging 9.9 points and 8 rebounds while Facciponti is scoring 8 points per game with an average of 4 steals. 

“Gabby has been a pleasant surprise,’’ Catapano said. “She’s always been a defensive-minded player. She’s been able to impact the game offensively by getting offensive rebounds, penetrating the defense, finding open players.” 

Another bonus is the play of Kaitlyn DiPaola, who is heating up from deep. Against Division Jan. 3, DiPaola, who also recently recovered from the flu, nailed four 3-pointers.  “She’s opened the floor with her 3-point shooting,’’ Catapano said. “She’s starting to find her role.’’

Calhoun hasn’t fared well against its rugged non-league schedule with losses to Division, Seaford and Oceanside. “We played some tough non-league games to make sure we’re prepared for the latter half of the season,’ Catapano said. 

Coyne, known for being a facilitator and scorer, believes Calhoun will finish strong. 

“We’re looking at a good rest of our season,’ said Coyne, who boasts a 99-point school average. “We had a lot of growing to do at the beginning of the year. We were a fairly young group. It was important to spend a lot of time together to build our team chemistry. Now that I’m healthy and everyone’s back. We’ve been having great practices and the future of the season is looking great.”