SPRINGFIELD, NJ — In one of his classic works, “Piers Plowman,” written around 1360, poet William Langland said that “patience is a fair virtue.” Roman historian Cato the Elder and the Latin poet Prudentius, among others, have also been credited with coining the phrase.
What do these words actually mean? Perhaps that the ability to wait without getting angry or upset is a valuable quality in a person.
That still rings true today and can easily be applied to Springfield’s Jonathan Dayton High School girls basketball team.
Not once but twice so far this season, the Bulldogs were bounced off the court because of COVID-19.
So the team waited, showed patience and finally played its first game on Tuesday, Jan. 11, where the Bulldogs came away with a convincing 44-31 win at home against Union. Jonathan Dayton H.S. then followed that with a 49-27 triumph at David Brearley High School in Kenilworth on Thursday, Jan. 13.
With three starters back from last year’s abbreviated but highly successful 11-1 campaign, Dayton still has its sights set on maximum proficiency for the 2021-2022 season.
The Bulldogs may be the favorite to capture the Union County Conference–Valley Division title. So far, they are off to a good start, with those double-digit division victories against Union and Brearley.
“Our kids were very anxious to play, and they did not disappoint,” said Dayton head coach Dave Rennie, now in his 25th season at the helm of the Bulldogs. A 1983 graduate of Bloomfield High School, Rennie was the head coach at Union for two years before moving to Dayton.
Every one of Dayton’s eight players filled the hoop in the triumph against Union. All seven that played against Brearley also scored.
“Against Union, it was mainly our defense that helped us pull away in the second and third quarters,” Rennie said. “We also had balanced scoring against Brearley, which is nice to see.”
Dayton, hoping there are no more shutdowns this season, tallied its first loss at Watchung Division school Union Catholic, 46-34, on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
Dayton is then scheduled for a Valley Division game against Linden this Saturday, Jan. 22, at 10:30 a.m.
Returning starters include junior captain Samantha Casey and sophomores Caitlyn Del Duca and Molly Martys.
“Samantha is our main inside threat,” Rennie said.
Del Duca, who was injured in the third quarter vs. Union and did not play in the Brearley game, is Dayton’s point guard.
Martys is the shooting guard. “Molly does a great job on both ends,” Rennie said. “She also does a great job of sharing the ball and, on defense, has incredible instincts and is able to deflect passes and come up with steals with her quickness.”
Another prominent sophomore is Alyssa Santangelo, who also played a lot last season.
“Alyssa and Molly are from the same mold,” Rennie said. “They are both small, quick and athletic. The rest of the team feeds off their play.”
Freshmen already making an impact the way Del Duca, Martys and Santangello did last year are Angela Gatto and Amiel Dillard.
“You can tell they’ve played together for a while now,” Rennie said. “They have good chemistry. They’re also very good on defense.”
Leading the group of seniors on the roster is returning player Mya Sims-Taylor, who had 3 points, three rebounds and one steal in the win against Union. The other seniors are Val Turano, Zya Gordon, Liz Miller and Fiona Manto.
Martys paced Dayton with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Union, while Casey had 11 points, seven boards and dished out three assists.
The high scorer for Union was senior Paris Jones, with 7 points.
“Right now, we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Rennie said. “I’m excited that we have a lot of young players. The girls have a great attitude and are fun to coach.”
Martys and Gatto paced Dayton with 11 points each against Brearley, which was a game the Bulldogs led by only 6 at intermission. Casey scored 10 and Dillard 9.
“The game was much closer than the final score indicated,” Rennie said. “Defensively, we shut down their scorers. Our lead was really a gradual thing. It certainly didn’t feel like a 22-point win.”
Brearley was paced offensively by sophomore Kylie Sheridan, who scored 8 points. “She is their best player,” Rennie said.
“Our No. 1 goal is to win our division,” Rennie said. “We would also like to be competitive in our county tournament, provided there is one. Getting out of the first round would be an accomplishment. Positioning in the states is also very important.”
Dayton is situated, once again, in North 2, Group 1.
“It was nice to see New Providence move out of our section, but we still have teams like Secaucus and University there,” Rennie said.
Kathy Matthews, one of only four New Jersey girls basketball coaches with more than 700 wins, has been the head coach at Union Catholic since the 1976-77 campaign. She is now in her 46th season at the helm of the Vikings.
Joe Skrec is in his 26th season as the head coach at Roselle Catholic. The 1984 RC graduate began the season with a record of 413-207 (.666).
Rennie is in his 25th year at the helm of the Bulldogs. His record at Dayton going into this year was 363-223 (.620). Including two seasons he was head coach at Union, where he went 5-15 and 11-11, his overall record going into this year stood at 379-249 (.604).
“I’m still very enthusiastic and feed off the energy from the girls,” Rennie said. “I’ve always had great assistant coaches to work with. I still enjoy doing this very much.”
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