South Jersey girls’ basketball notes

Bernie Hynson's first reaction was to smile and shake his head - a gesture of appreciation as much as disbelief.

"Oh man," said Hynson, the first-year Woodrow Wilson girls' basketball coach. "We knew she was going to help. But we didn't know she was going to have that type of impact.

"She puts everybody else in a more intense state of mind. We needed that."

Kim Roy came off the bench to score 17 points, grab five rebounds, and dish four assists as Woodrow Wilson (5-4) pulled out a 51-48 nail-biter over Olympic Conference National Division rival Camden Catholic on Monday.

Roy hit a layup with 30 seconds left and came up with an offensive rebound to ice the game with three seconds left.

Not a bad first impression for the senior transfer from Camden Charter, fresh off her 30-day waiting period.

"I was proud to be out there with my team, and I just feel like I exploded when I hit the court," Roy said. "I just knew I had to come out and try to motivate the team."

With Roy, a forward, the Tigers have three players capable of being among the top scorers in South Jersey.

Senior forward Kamari Talley is averaging more than 18 points, and sophomore guard Chanelle Perry averages almost 15.

Last season, Shanice Maynard, now a freshman at Coppin State, was the team's catalyst on both ends of the floor. This season, the Tigers feature more balanced scoring, as Perry continues to develop into a star of Maynard's ilk.

"Shanice was a big part of our team," Perry said. "But we knew when she left that we just had to keep playing hard. I think we have a team filled with players who are excellent offensively and defensively."

Added Talley: "We have a lot of confidence. And we're looking forward to the rest of the season."

Tall order. A coach dreams of certain things.

Having five players capable of scoring in double figures on a given night, that's one of them.

Having your rival's most dangerous player join your team, that's usually one, too.

Sacred Heart coach Steve DiPatro has the luxury of both this season.

The Lions' 73-13 win over Hammonton on Tuesday was 6-foot-2 sophomore center Kennedy Johnson's first game in a Sacred Heart uniform.

"She was the toughest defensive matchup that we had to game-plan for last year," DiPatro said of Johnson, a transfer from Holy Spirit who scored 18 points against Hammonton in her first game after her 30-day waiting period.

"We have strong outside shooters and players who can drive to the basket. But Kennedy gives us a tremendous inside presence. We're excited to have her. She's a big addition to our program."

Johnson joins an already deep roster that includes guards Mandy Buirch, Brittany Harden and Lexi Bruno, and forward Tay-Tay Loatman. All are effective scorers and tough defenders.

It all adds up to a team that DiPatro thinks is his strongest since the Lions (11-0) won a Non-Public B state title in 2004-05.

"We expected to have a good year. We had a lot of returning talent. We had a great summer," DiPatro said. "And when you have a group like this, where you don't know who your leading scorer is going to be every night, that presents a lot of challenges for defenses."

Getting faster, stronger. Jada Matthews' description of her 30-day waiting period could be the theme of her team's season.

"It was tough," said Matthews, a Paul VI wing player who transferred from Winslow Township. "But I was able to use the time to get faster, stronger, and more mentally prepared to play these games."

Matthews, a 6-0 sophomore who was an invitee to the U-16 USA Basketball Trials, is the most highly touted of four Paul VI transfers.

The others are juniors: Gabby Brown from Bishop Eustace and Erinn Fontno and Riaa Redd from Lenape. Brown and Fontno did not have to sit 30 days because they sat out with injuries last season. Redd, along with Matthews, debuted in the Eagles' 55-45 road loss to Bishop Eustace on Tuesday night.

Matthews scored 15 points, despite picking up three first-half fouls, and Redd, a guard/forward, chipped in six.

Paul VI (3-5) is deep and highly talented, but the players need to get used to playing with one another. Fortunately for them, they all will be back next season - barring transfers, of course.

"We need to use this year to jell," said Paul VI coach Donna Comardo-Harris, whose daughter, Morgan Harris, a junior point guard, is another key piece to the team's young core. "I'm excited. I think next year will be big for us - so I'm not worried at all."