Girls Varsity Basketball in NEPSAC Semifinals

Girls Varsity Basketball pushed past #6 seed Montrose School 59‒38 to win the NEPSAC Class D Girls Basketball Quarterfinal at home on March 4.  The Highlanders, the #3 seed, will take on #2 seed Vermont Academy in the NEPSAC Semifinals at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, at Vermont Academy.
 

It was the first playoff win for girls varsity basketball in the school’s history of tournament play. The team made it to the playoffs in 2016 and in 2019 and ended the regular season this year with a record of 14‒6.

“Going into the game yesterday, I felt like we were ready. There was a lot of good energy. It was the place we built ourselves to, so it was fun to actually be there,” said Head Coach Amy Paulekas, who is in her eighth year of coaching the girls varsity team, and her fourth year as Head Coach.

This was the first time The Gunnery has hosted the girls basketball playoffs, and the Highlanders didn’t disappoint. Fans packed the stands and cheered enthusiastically as the team established an early lead and sustained a 15-20 point advantage for more than half the game.

“I think that yesterday was probably one of our best start-to-finish games of the season,” Paulekas said. “Just the composure – particularly of Remay Pemba ’20, Lenaijah Ferguson ’20, and Marley Berano ’20 yesterday. Those three – they’re so consistent, and because that group has played together for so long, they know where the ball needs to go and when. They played so smart yesterday. They put it together.”

Of the 13 players on the team, seven are seniors. Paulekas has coached them since freshman year.

The fast-paced game delivered many great moments, including a step-back, three-pointer by Gianna Russillo ’20. Freshman shooting guard Natalia Zappone ’23 was the leading scorer, putting up 27 points. “For a freshman to come in, and just the absolute ice in her veins when she put up shots. That’s not something you can teach,” said Assistant Coach Cassie Ruscz.

“We knew going into this season that it was going to be a special season. We talked to our seniors about it before we even started,” Paulekas said. “One of the things I wanted them to keep thinking about is: they built this program and what was the legacy they wanted to leave behind. Everything they did was not just toward making the playoffs, because that’s something they did in the past. They wanted to win the playoffs. Mid-January was when they started realizing they were good.”

The players were responsive to the crowd, who came prepared to make some noise, armed with bells, clappers, maracas, and the school hymn, which students and faculty sang loudly each time Montrose stepped to the line. “They loved the crowd. It makes a difference. That’s the thing with this team," Paulekas said. "Of all the years that I’ve coached, this was the year that I feel like we’ve been more of a team than any other year. It doesn’t matter if you play all the time. Everyone is excited. They cheer from the bench. They’re up there high-fiving each other. They really are a team. They like each other a lot.”

Also on Thursday, Wooster School, the #4 seed, beat #5 seed Winchendon School with a score of 70‒29. Wooster will now face Lexington Christian Academy, the #1 seed, on Saturday. The winners of Saturday’s semifinal games will advance to the finals on NEPSAC Super Sunday, March 8, at 11:45 a.m. in the Rappaport Gymnasium at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts. Both Berano and Ferguson were named to the NEPSGBCA All-Star Team, which is part of the Super Sunday program at Noble and Greenough.


Photo Credit: Tim Stewart P'20

Additional Images

Freshman shooting guard Natalia Zappone ’23

Freshman shooting guard Natalia Zappone ’23

Lenaijah Ferguson ’20

Lenaijah Ferguson ’20, who was named to the NEPSGBCA All-Star Team

Marley Berano '20

Marley Berano ’20, who was named to the NEPSGBCA All-Star Team

Gianna Russillo ’20

Gianna Russillo ’20

Remay Pemba ’20

Remay Pemba ’20

team huddle

"They really are a team." - Head Coach Amy Paulekas