ROSELLE PARK, NJ — Perhaps the story of the year in Union County girls basketball this first half of the 2024-2025 campaign reached a zenith of sorts on Saturday, Jan. 25, during Girls Basketball Day at Roselle Park High School.
Comfortably ahead of an opponent the host Panthers lost to the last five times they played them, including an 18-point defeat in February, the invigorated crowd in attendance witnessed star player Sidney Smith bring the house down by draining a three-pointer from half court at the third quarter buzzer.
Smith, who played her first two years at Roselle Catholic High School before transferring to her hometown high school this season, then scored nine more points in the fourth quarter to produce a career-high 48.
Not only did Roselle Park, which scored the game’s first 13 points, go on to execute another double-digit victory by the commanding score of 61-35 against visiting Whippany Park High School, but the Panthers remained the only undefeated team in Union County, improving to 11-0.
Roselle Park also leads the Union County Conference’s Valley Division standings at 4-0.
This is all news to the Panthers, who have not produced a winning season in more than 15 years.
As late as Monday, Jan. 27, the Roselle Park Panthers girls basketball team was still undefeated.
Wow!
“We’re shocking the whole county,” said Smith, who is averaging 33 points and is on the verge of reaching 1,000 career points.
The last Roselle Park girls player to reach 1,000 points was 2007 graduate Katie Bundy, who finished her outstanding tenure with 1,050.
Smith scored 402 points as a freshman at Roselle Catholic two years ago and 198 last year as a sophomore at RC, with an ankle injury preventing her from scoring more.
Smith entered the scheduled game on Monday, Jan. 27, in Piscataway against Timothy Christian Academy with 964 points, just 36 away from a grand accomplishment.
Roselle Park was next scheduled to host a very challenging, 13-2 Bernards High School squad Tuesday. The last time the teams clashed two years ago, Bernards won 40-17.
Roselle Park’s final game scheduled for this week is a Valley Division contest at Hillside High School on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 4 p.m.
“We’re getting good hometown support from everyone in school,” Smith said. “We’re just enjoying this right now.”
For sure, senior captains Madison O’Connell and Brook Gallo welcome the addition of Smith, who has transformed Roselle Park into a team to be reckoned with when the North 2, Group 1 state playoffs commence next month.
“When Sidney lights it up, our energy is up,” Gallo said. “She brings out the best in all of us.”
Without Smith, the Panthers, who finished 7-12 in 2023-2024, did not have enough offense to win at Whippany Park in last year’s second-to-last game, a 43-25 defeat.
“Today, we wanted to focus on getting to our spots,” said Smith, who scored the game’s first nine points and finished with 20 field goals, eight of them from three-point range.
“We really wanted to keep pushing forward and running our offense,” said Gallo, who grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked one shot.
O’Connell was credited with four rebounds and four assists.
“To be in this position and to be able to look forward to making states is great,” O’Connell said.
Roselle Park last made the states three years ago, falling in a first-round Central Jersey, Group 1 game in 2022. The Panthers lost more than 20 games in 2023.
“We hope to surprise people in the county and go as far as we can in the states,” Gallo said.
Also contributing for Roselle Park vs. Whippany Park, which fell to 2-12, were Hannah Djokic and Emmy Gregoire, with six rebounds each, and Angela Leonardis with five boards, two assists and two blocks. Djokic also had three assists and a team-high six blocks and four steals.
“Whether we are 11-0 or 0-11, these are great girls and I love coaching them,” said second-year head coach Staci Hartzler. “I’m proud of our start.
“Our game is an up-tempo one and we want to push up and keep the pressure on. No doubt, Sidney makes everyone around her better. We’re playing really well together as a team, which is the most important thing.”
Photos by JR Parachini