Holliston Girls’ Basketball Builds Its Play

Having only grabbed three wins last season and graduating five seniors from that squad, things didn’t look all that great for the Holliston girls’ basketball team coming into this season. To make matters worse, the Panthers would field a young and inexperienced team this winter with a coach who had only taken over last year when the previous coach stepped down.
Carrying only one senior, who does not have a lot of varsity experience, seven juniors and four sophomores, Holliston has been able to double their win total from a year earlier. The Panthers are currently sporting a 6-11 overall record under Coach Dan Keefe.
The squad’s only senior is Rachel Elkinson, a 5’ 5” forward who has had to go up against many a girl much bigger and faster than she is, but according to the Coach, she understands the scheme and happens to always be in the right place at the right time.
Guard Grace Dzindolet and small forward Tess Powers, both juniors, are the team’s captains. Dzindolet is scoring 17 points per contest, which leads the team, and if she isn’t leading the Tri Valley League, she is relatively close.
“Right now, Grace has accounted for the majority of our scoring,” Keefe said. “It’s not that our offense is set up to roll through her, she just happens to be the beneficiary of the defense our opposition has been playing against us.”
While Dzindolet has been accounting for the team’s scoring to this point, Powers has been given the job of covering the other team’s best player, and unfortunately, the assignment doesn’t allow for her to score all that much. With her defensive prowess on the opposition’s top gun neutralizing her scoring, Powers has been finding opportunities to put the ball in the basket via offensive rebounds.
In the past, the Panthers have had bigger girls playing the post, but unfortunately, the team graduated most of them last year, so coming into this campaign, Keefe had to change his offense around.
“We had to take a different approach to this season,” the coach said. “My ultimate goal is to have an overall balanced scoring with all five scoring in double figures. The more weapons you have, the more difficult it is for the other team to defend you.”
Prior to the beginning of the season, Keefe told his young and inexperienced team that they were looking at a two -year plan, where this season was finding the pieces to the puzzle and next year they would reap its benefits.
“We’ve begun to play better basketball as a team over the second half of the season, and I am looking for our defense to improve, which will then create some offense,” Keefe said. “Grace has been getting a lot of outlet passes through our defensive play, and when they do cover her, she’s been distributing the ball and Tess has been the beneficiary (scoring wise).”
Sophomore Gabby Ramirez-Brodeur has lately emerged as a defensive stopper for Holliston, which has allowed Powers to get some rest. In addition to Ramirez-Brodeur, Keefe has seen the emergence of the other sophomores as well. With the main focus on Dzindolet bringing the ball up court, AbbyRae Wells has picked up some of the slack. The sophomore guard has not only shown maturity, but is finding a confidence in her play. In addition Wells has also begun developing an outside shot, which will definitely help in the long run. Two other sophomores making an impact are Brooke Geoffroy, who has been playing the post, and Eliza Altobelli, who has seen her stock rise as she has been going up against juniors and seniors on a nightly basis.
Kami Kozubal has not only come into her own as of late, but she has really surprised the coach with her play.
“I know she worked this past summer and fall on her shot, and it has shown, as her confidence is building in taking those shots,” the coach said. “She has been a great addition, with her outside shooting, something I didn’t anticipate.”
Although Holliston will most likely miss the playoffs once again, Coach Keefe’s two-year plan seems to be moving in the right direction and the girls, who will have varsity experience next season should be on the rise in the Tri-Valley League, and, hopefully, on the verge of entering the tournament again.