Ann Deibert is in her second year as head coach of the Haddam-Killingworth girls’ basketball team, and she’s excited about the opportunity to help the program grow. The Cougars are off to a 3-7 start to their season, but Coach Deibert feels pleased with the strides her squad is making so far, and she was happy to see H-K grab a couple of victories last week.

“I’m most looking forward to building the program and getting better every game. Every day, our goal is to be better than we were yesterday,” Deibert said. “My assistant coach Kent Ritter brought in 10 bricks at the beginning of the season. The players taped them up and wrote inspirational words on them. We use them at practice for training, but they also serve as a reminder that we are building a foundation in this program for years to come.”

In H-K’s latest string of contests, the Cougars won two of their three games during the past week. H-K started the week by taking a 49-26 loss at East Hampton on Jan. 17, but followed that up with back-to-back home wins against Coginchaug and Westbrook. The Cougars claimed a 51-46 overtime victory versus Coginchaug on Jan. 18 and then defeated Westbrook by a 33-13 score on Jan. 21.

H-K experienced some setbacks at the outset of its season, but Coach Deibert is proud of her club for staying the course and showing improvement throughout the past few weeks.

“This season has started out with a lot of challenges outside of our control. Our senior captain Carly Rettberg went down with a knee injury during the third game of the season, and we had a lot of disruptions due to the rising COVID numbers,” said Deibert. “That being said, our kids are really committing to our defensive philosophy, and that has made a world of difference in how we look on the court. They are fun to watch, they work hard, and they stay positive. They are so fun to coach.”

Junior forward Kaleigh Bodak scored 10 points for H-K in last week’s loss to East Hampton. Junior captain Audra Yazmer had 9 points in the game.

Following that defeat, the Cougars came back to get a 51-46 overtime win against Coginchaug the following day. H-K outscored the Blue Devils by a 9-4 margin in OT to walk off the floor victorious.

Sophomore forward Cheyenne LaTouche recorded the first double-double of her career by posting 11 points with 21 rebounds for the Cougars. Junior captain point guard Julia Favalora scored 18 points to go with 3 assists for H-K, which had 11 steals as a team in the win.

In its final game of the week, the Cougars notched a 33-13 victory over Westbrook. Bodak had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Yazmer dished out 4 assists on the night.

Coach Deibert noted several players for their strong performances last week and the season overall.

“Kaleigh is a versatile lefty who can own games. Along with Kaleigh, Julia is a player who gained so much confidence with being an offensive threat. She regularly has 3 to 5 assists per game,” Deibert said. “Then we have Cheyenne, who is new to the starting lineup this year. She’s playing major minutes and has been a major impact player. Her rebounding is singlehandedly keeping us in games.”

Coach Deibert was glad to see how her team responded from its early struggles by picking up a couple of recent wins. Those victories have Deibert feeling optimistic about what the Cougars can accomplish as the 2022 season rolls on.

“We have already been affected by COVID quite a bit. We were practicing for a week with only four players and had to reschedule three games,” said Deibert. “I’m hoping we have gotten over the worst of it, and we are getting back on track. The players have been much more resilient than me. I’m seeing the same thing in the classroom. Our kids are resilient.”

H-K features a young roster this year. Consequently, Coach Deibert is focused on having her players develop good habits that will not only benefit the Cougars for the rest of this season, but also in future campaigns.

“We have a lot of youth, so our practices need to focus on game prep and skill-building concurrently. We are building habits and establishing how we play H-K basketball,” Deibert said. “It’s the little things and the attention to detail, along with repetition of solid drill work, that will lead to success in years to come.”

Rettberg, a captain, is the only senior on H-K’s roster this season. In addition to the captains Favalora and Yazmer, along with Bodak, the Cougars’ junior class includes Ana Garcia, Ella Geissler, and Brenna Longergan.

Aside from LaTouche, H-K sophomore class features Kaleigh Nelligan and Annabelle Zajac. The freshmen on the squad are Kaley Arbona, Caley Napoletano, Ava Ramino, Margaret Robinson, and Seanna Ruimerman.

Kent Ritter and Tara Murphy are the team’s assistant coaches. Coach Deibert was happy to bring Murphy, a program alum, back into the fold with the Cougars.

“Tara is an H-K grad from 2018 and a four-year starter for the H-K girls’ basketball team,” Deibert said. “She’s back as an assistant coach this year, and I’ve really enjoyed having her on the sideline with me this year. It’s rewarding to watch a player become a coach.”