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01/17/2023 12:07 PMA season after claiming a postseason victory apiece for both its conference and state tournaments, the North Branford girls’ basketball team returns to action a year stronger and wiser to construct a club that carries itself with swagger and flash on the floor and camaraderie away from the court.
After going 14-6 in the regular season last year and then reaching the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals, the T-Birds entered the Class M State Tournament as the No. 12 seed. North Branford hosted No. 21 seed Ansonia for a first-round game and claimed a 62-40 victory on its home floor before it played at No. 5 seed Valley Regional in the second round of states, taking a 61-53 loss to the Warriors. North Branford finished its season with an overall record of 16-8, winning 13 of its last 18 games after starting 3-3.
Thus far for the 2022-2023 campaign, the T-Birds had gotten out to a 2-5 start through the first full week of 2023. Then recently, North Branford first posted an emphatic 62-15 victory over Westbrook at home on Jan. 10.
Though only at about the halfway mark into the regular season, Head Coach Sabrina LeMere stated that as long as the girls develop confidence on the court within themselves and cohesion as a collective club, then the sky’s the limit for this veteran-laden squad.
“We are looking to have a strong season; we have solid upperclassmen with a lot of ability,” said LeMere. “We are looking to grow throughout the year. We want to develop team chemistry to help make the offense and defense flow. We are looking to be successful during the regular season and make a run for the postseason. Off the court, the focus on academics for the girls is huge, and we want to develop team bonding.”
North Branford’s lone senior small forward/post player Tessa Juniver will lead the T-Birds as one of their co-captains, sharing the responsibility with junior guard Keana Criscuolo. LeMere lauds both for their abilities to take the lead with team communication and take charge on the floor.
“Tessa is a calm, sound person, and the girls love that. She is a leader with her actions; she is very on target with being helpful. We expect her to come out with strength and confidence,” said LeMere. “Keana was a huge part of our team last year and was one of our leading scorers. She has grown immensely, and I am excited to see what she brings this year.”
Additionally, LeMere points to a very strong and solid junior class core this campaign. They include shooting guard Callie Holzer, Natalia Lucibello at small forward, and Hamden transfer Nicole Timario. A freshmen tandem of shooting guards in Emma Preiss and Skylar Gage look to add fresh sparks as well.
“Both Callie and Natalia brought fire off the bench last year. Callie has a great three-point shot, and Natalia can pull through with rebounds,” LeMere said. “Nicole loves the game; she is bouncy, fiery, and is a great addition to the team. Emma and Skylar have shown great effort and are great shooting guards.”
North Branford will traverse the regular season while entertaining an arsenal of adversaries within the Shoreline Conference, in addition to tackling some top local foes from the equally competitive Southern Connecticut Conference in key clashes.
“Last year, we finished fourth in the Shoreline and went head-to-head with a lot of good teams,” Coach LeMere said. “Valley Regional, East Hampton, and Cromwell are up there in the conference, and we can have great games against them. East Haven [a 56-42 loss on Dec. 12], Branford [55-48 win on Dec. 14], and Granby Memorial [a 55-48 defeat on Dec. 27] [were] also big games for us. Our schedule will be filled with good matchups.”
When it comes to the eventual peaks and valleys of a high school basketball season, LeMere noted that the girls’ enjoyment of the game is crucial when weathering any storms while doing it with beaming positivity.
“We look to have the girls enjoy the game. We want them to have confidence on the court, be positive, and have that energy,” said LeMere. “When we have all of that, then our talent and energy will take us places. If there is any negative energy, then the team falls apart. We just have to focus on one thing at a time.”
The North Branford program roster is comprised of senior Juniver; juniors Holzer, Timario, Criscuolo, Lucibello; sophomores of Makaila Amin, Alexa DeFrancesco, Gabriella Bigio, Mary Brown, Leslie Marcano; and finally, freshmen in Preiss, Madison DiStefano, MaKayla Brown, Gage, Alyssa Marino, and Terasa Comfort.
LeMere is in her third season as the T-Birds’ bench boss. She is assisted by assistant coaches Marie Zampano, Angelina Ramada, and Steve Saunders.