WBB: Landmark Conference

[ronk]

Ronk see you Friday would you like me to get your ticket for you?

Thanks for the offer; I'll take a chance that it won't be a sellout and/or I'll be there early enough on Friday.

[saratoga]

Friday nights prime time game will present an atmosphere these kids (both teams), will remember a very long time.
Should the Lady Royals prevail, Saturday's game will provide an atmosphere that will last a lifetime.

[Swish3]

Lauren's at UVA now; she was pretty good, but I think Fancher is better all around, given her ability to score.  Broderick has done an excellent job, and I expect the girls to be very tough as long as he's at CNU...I have no doubt that he's a relentless recruiter, which is obviously a huge part of having a successful program.  It will be interesting to see if the young Lady Captains can sustain their level of play from last weekend and compete for forty minutes against a dominant program on their home court...since I tend to follow the men more closely, and with CNU being a recent mid-atlantic transplant, I was not aware of how special the Lady Royals program was/is.  Honestly, I think CNU is a year away from winning a game of this magnitude, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's close...I won't be there this weekend, but perhaps one day?

Yes, Lauren was challenged scoringwise, but I liked every other aspect of her PG play and think Scranton's chances would have been even better if she had been our PG last year, this year, and next year. SPECULATION on my part.

High praise for Lauren, a good floor leader...not sure what prompted her to give up on basketball and transfer.

[Maine 1]

Look like a great scene at the "U" tonight.  I remember going to the Long Center years ago when it was first built, watching some of the great Men's team that played back in the late 60s and early 70s.  I agree that the Lady Royals will remember tonight's game and now tomorrow's for the rest of their lives. I am sure the City of Scranton will be out in force to support the Lady Royals. This will be an excellent game.

[saratoga]

Maine1:

Great game last night and now the task of taking down a really good Tufts team.
Scranton was able to set the tone early and dictate tempo & the inside/out game was working to near perfection.
Couple that with their constant man pressure & fingers crossed, they really look good.

However, tonight's another night & the challenge will certainly be formidable.

The Royals (men), certainly did have some great teams back in the 60's & 70's.
The women have always been good even when the mens program started to drop off the national scene but this year, the Lady Royals have clearly put together a season that is magical beyond many magical runs.

The old house should be rocking tonight!

[Maine 1]

Based on what I saw last night, I believe Scranton has a better balanced team. There inside player is better than North on Tufts, and Scranton has better shooters on the outside. With what will be a full house, I think Scranton will win.

I know the Scranton women have been a long-time power in D3 hoops, up there with Bowdoin, Amherst and some of the other perennial powers.

[redrhino]

Maine1 and Saratoga,

I know the Lady Royals have tremendous respect for Tufts and are putting lots of thought into how they would able to counter the tremendous personnel Tufts puts on the court. The formidable Jumbos have without doubt established themselves as a national-class force in the last several seasons; they are well-coached, and they are talented. There should be a good turnout for this one.

By the way, I think that last night's crowd--coupled with the quality of play the fans saw--points out that Division 3 Women's basketball has to be one of the most under-rated entertainment values in sports. 

[Maine 1]

Tufts played an outstanding game tonight. In particular, Baptista dominated on both ends of the floor.  Super offensive game and great defense.  I doubt Scranton has seen that type of defense during the season.  A great Season for Scranton, but they lost to a very good team, and Baptista played a great game.  She was the difference.  Otherwise, the bigs on both teams neutralized each other

[ronk]

  Baptista was definitely the difference, especially with the 3-pt shots. Tufts' defense was very effective. There had to be a reason for them to have beaten Moravian by 20. Best wishes to them in the semis.

   Kudos to our seniors, Noelle and Jackie, for the great run and for spearheading the transition between coaches, for making lemonade from the lemons. It was a memorable season.   

[redrhino]

Congratulations to Lady Royal seniors Noelle and Jackie; you led your team to some plateaus that no Lady
Royal team had ever achieved before--in particular, a 16-0 conference record, a 30-0 start to season. And it was all done with class and respect for the game.

Kudos to the entire team--30-1 and an Elite 8 Berth is top-of-the-charts play. You distinguished yourselves as one of the best teams in the country.

[ronk]

 Congrats to the Lady Royals' Mid-Atlantic Regional honors:
   COY - Trevor Woodruff
   ROY - Bridgette Mann
    POY - Sara Payonk
  1st team - Alexix Roman

[saratoga]

As another season winds down, I'd just like to thank whoever it was in the U of S Administration that decided on both bringing Dave Martin in as Athletic Director & re-opening the search for the women's basketball head coaching vacancy & letting Dave lead that search.

Not only did Scranton get a fantastic person to run the entire program in Dave, but then by bringing in Trevor as head coach, that changed the entire dynamic of where this program was & where this program currently is & will be.

The growth & development of this "Team' from game 1 through game 31 was the best I've seen in well over 30 years of following the Lady Royal's.

It was an absolute pleasure to see both Jackie & Noel develop into the heart & soul of this squad & to see so many of these young ladies improve their games in so many ways.

These kids & this coaching staff gave it everything they had & just got beat by a very good team on a day the ball just never really bounced their way.
When that happens & they hit every big shot they take, they get that loose ball or make a huge stop...sometimes you just have to tip your cap, learn from it & congratulate your opponent.


The post season awards keep coming in for Sarah, Alexix, Bridgette & Trevor & what remarkable seasons they & the rest of the team have had.

I just want to stress how great it was to come to these games & see each players skill set improve dramatically throughout the season.
Trevor coached with a passion & understanding that rubbed off on his players and once they realized he knew the game like few others that have coached them, their belief in his system took off & so did their wins.

Great to see Ronk, San Juan, Jerry, Tim & Mike at the games supporting the ladies near & far.

Here's hoping the recruiting season goes well.

Ladies, thank you for all your dedication to make yourselves better & all the fantastic games you played as a team.

Coaching staff, thank you for all your hard work to make this magical season happen.

Trevor, one hell of a job.
Probably the best coaching job from start to finish few schools at any level ever get to experience.
You took these kids to heights they may have only dreamed of.

All the best to the Seniors as they now get ready for the next big game before them.

Can't wait till October!

[sp0rtsfan]

Here ends another successful year for our Lady Royals. Not to be grim, but although I could not be there to see the game against Tufts, I did leave my Mom's death bed to watch them on my home computer and see them tie up the game in the 4Q. I think it was right after Tuft's Lee hit the 3 pointer that I received the call that my Mom's "life" game clock just timed out and I needed to get back to her house. Of course I was sad that our girls didn't get the win, however, the death of a "Mom" will always put everything in perspective.

On a final note, for me, the classy sportsmanship and dignity that our Lady Royals show every year on the court means just as much as their perennial success with raking up wins and NCAA tournament appearances.

May all posters have a great Easter and Holiday weekend, and please, keep us updated on new hoops news. 

Peace Out !

[ronk]

Here ends another successful year for our Lady Royals. Not to be grim, but although I could not be there to see the game against Tufts, I did leave my Mom's death bed to watch them on my home computer and see them tie up the game in the 4Q. I think it was right after Tuft's Lee hit the 3 pointer that I received the call that my Mom's "life" game clock just timed out and I needed to get back to her house. Of course I was sad that our girls didn't get the win, however, the death of a "Mom" will always put everything in perspective.

On a final note, for me, the classy sportsmanship and dignity that our Lady Royals show every year on the court means just as much as their perennial success with raking up wins and NCAA tournament appearances.

May all posters have a great Easter and Holiday weekend, and please, keep us updated on new hoops news. 

Peace Out !

sp0rtsfan,
  Sorry to hear about your mom. My college classmate, former Scranton Mayor Jim McNulty, died the Wednesday before the sectional round so I was going to attend the wake if it had been Friday or Saturday while I was in town for the bball. However, it was Sunday and I had to be back home for my grandsons' Confirmation that day.
  The Lady Royals did have a remarkable season and, with us at the midpoint timewise(not effortwise) of the recruiting cycle, I would characterize it as promising. Hope to be able to upgrade that view in May when the commitments have been made.

[sp0rtsfan]

Thanks, Ronk. I always do my best to talk up the hoops program to the HS talent we have here in north/central NJ. The U.'s popularity seems to be catching on around here and I'm hoping it will extend to the local hoopsters.