The girls basketball team went 9-16 this season. The team’s focus was building a good relationship on the court and developing their skills with the help of senior captains Dyliany DeLeon, Angela Oskierko and coach Ms. Leigh Vogtman.
Ms. Vogtman has coached the MTHS girls basketball team for 10 consecutive years of which seven have been dedicated to the varsity team.
The team this year consisted of 10 players including the three seniors DeLeon, Oskierko, and Julia Granit. The girls worked very hard and played well as a team, even though the team was composed of many young players.
Freshman Rosaleen Regan says, “The season was more of a growing season since our team was so young. We did not win many, but each game we played the best we could.”
The team had mostly freshmen and sophomores, so the girls were still developing a good relationship with one another.
Some of the top scorers this season was sophomore Madison Carey with 319 points, DeLeon with 261 points, and Oskierko with 192 points.
Oskierko says, “I will miss playing with all the girls and building such a great bond with all of them. I have accomplished all my goals through my four years of playing high school basketball. This season was fun, even though we may have not won many games in the Red Division.”
The division the school is placed in depends on the size of the school and its location. The towns that defeated Monroe in the Red Division were East Brunswick, South Brunswick, Spotswood, Montgomery, Edison once and Piscataway.
Sophomore Emily Simoskevitz says, “I would describe us as hardworking despite the outcome of the season. We were outmatched in the Red Division due to our size, but I think we proved our work ethic. We supported each other and had fun on and off the court.”
On Wednesday, February 21, Monroe won was against Al Johnson High School with a score of 50-47. The game was very tight and intense, but in the end, Monroe came out on top. The leading scorer was Oskierko with 15 points and not far behind was Carey with 13 points.
The games Monroe also won against Edison, Perth Amboy, Old Bridge, South River and South Plainfield throughout the season.
This year, the Lady Falcons were eliminated in the GMCs and in states. In the past, they were Division champs in 1998 and 2014-2016, County champs in 1977, and Sectional champs in 2016.
The girls basketball team may have had a rocky season, but the girls developed a great relationship and are working hard to make sure next season has a different outcome.
How do you think the girls could improve for next season?