March 2020 feels like a generation ago for the Bellmore JFK girls basketball team, which went on a magical run to the Nassau Class A semifinals that season and haven’t returned since.
The Cougars have come frustratingly close to a playoff return the last few winters, only to fall short.
But the first half of the season, in which Kennedy went 9-5 overall and 3-3 in Nassau Conference AA-I, has them excited about the possibility of a return to the postseason.
Head coach Mallory Freely said she entered the season not knowing how well her team, which has just three seniors, would fare.
But a season-opening 60-49 win at district rival Mepham provided optimism.
“They handled Mepham, which is usually a tough game, with such composure,” head coach Mallory Freely said. “It was like the eighth day, so for them to quickly learn some plays, they definitely impressed me quickly, and it was a morale booster to keep it going.”
A 53-42 win over another district rival, Calhoun, Dec. 16 further fueled the hope that postseason basketball could be in the offering.
Katelyn Kuhl and Jordi Wohlleben have been alternating as the team’s leading scorer and have been instrumental to the success through the first half of the conference schedule.
“Without either of them, we would not nearly be what we are, not even just in scoring, just everything — defensively, rebounding, setting up plays, and things like that, just really two smart girls who know the game very well, know how to play other sports as well, they're multi-sport kids,” Freely said.
Kuhl is a junior forward and the leading scorer, whom Freely credits with doing all the dirty work. She had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocks in that season-opening win at Mepham on Nov. 26.
Wohlleben, who had 18 points and six steals in a 64-47 win over Long Beach on Jan. 12, is a senior guard and four-year varsity competitor in lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. She’s also a captain in basketball and lacrosse. “She brings all the intangibles, doing the dirty work, so unsung and just all over the place, our energizer bunny, doesn’t ever stop running, never gets tired, never asks for a sub, she just does it all,” Freely said.
Isabella Ryan is a sophomore forward who also thrives in the game’s intangibles, the hustle plays, and rarely subs out. And Valentina Alfieri, who was the first off the bench a year ago, is the floor general as a freshman.
“It’s pretty miraculous to see such leadership from her,” Freely said of Alfieri, who had 16 points and four steals in the win over Calhoun.
Sisters Remi and Sydney Watstein, Freely said, take turns scoring 10 to 12 points each per game. Remi is a sophomore shooting guard who had 13 points and six steals in a 61-50 victory over Island Trees on Dec. 22, while Sydney is just a seventh grader.
“The girls have exceeded our expectations so far this season,” Freely said. “We’re a very young team, so we’re hopeful for the next few years to come."
