NEWTOWN, Pa.- Bucks County Women's Basketball closed out their season with a loss to Bergen County College 69-41. The Lady Centurions were paced by freshman guard Cassie Tavormina's (Moorestown, NJ/Doane Academy) 21 points and freshman forward Korin Bradley's (Levittown, PA/ Neshaminy) 7 points.
The game was also Sophomore Day as Kailie Mitchell (Bensalem, PA/ Bensalem) and Haleigh Kaufmann (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury), who each scored 5 points, were recognized for their careers. Sarah Dees (Morrisville, PA/St. Hubert's), who finished playing at the end of the first semester, was also on hand for the game.
The loss gave the team an overall record of 0-22, 0-17 in Region 19 play. This is the first time since the program's 0-15, 0-10 record from the 2012-13 season that the team has gone winless.
But, in sports, success can be measured in more than just wins and losses.
In the first four games of the season, the Lady Centurions scored in single digits twice, averaging 9.1 points per game. Compare that to the final four games of the season, where the team averaged 28 points per game, including Saturday's season high of 41 points.
The first four games of the season saw an average margin of defeat of 99.3 points per game. The final four games of the season saw an average margin of defeat of 64.5 points per game, an improvement of nearly 35 points per game.
"I've talked all season about finding those silver linings that show some level of improvement," said Head Coach Andre Bright. "I feel that when you compare how we finished the season versus how we started, you can see the type of improvement I spoke of," he concluded.
Statistically, two Lady Centurions stood out in national rankings. Freshmen forwards Korin Bradley (Levittown, PA/Neshaminy) and Alena Kusnerick (Levittown, PA/Neshaminy) finished 49th and 54th in minutes per game at 33.0 and 32.7, respectively. Kusnerick, who holds the school's single game record of nine blocks in a single game, also finished the season ranked ninth in the country with 2.9 blocks per game.
"I was hoping I would be able to finish in the top five," Said Kusnerick. "But I'm very happy to have finished in the top 10. That feels pretty good."
What's next for the Lady Centurions? The next steps are focusing on bringing in players with enough basketball experience to increase the team's ability to compete on the Division II level, and to put together a schedule that will allow them to earn a few wins.
"The easy part is playing with low expectations," Said Coach Bright. "We've been able to generate interest in our program by getting high school coaches and players to see our vision in what we want the program to be."
And this is why Bright feels next season will be critical in the advancement of the program, "We're going to have eyes on us expecting us to win some games," he said. "This is the kind of challenge I want for this program. To have Bucks County's students and alumni hoping for positive changes in the program is a great place for us to be."
Hope, it appears, springs eternal.
