Team of the Year

DePaul

The DePaul team that started the 2010-11 girls' basketball season was a very different unit from the one that ended the campaign. The Spartans' season started in ugly fashion, with a 32-point defeat to Holy Angels. The team did show improvement, but didn't really begin to hit its stride until transfer Jade Walker became eligible in mid-January.

In their rematch with the Angels, DePaul stayed close but again came out on the short end. But a few days later, the Spartans' other key transfer, Starr Breedlove, was cleared to join the team. Suddenly DePaul was a team no one wanted to play. The Spartans knocked out the top seed (Kennedy) in the Passaic County tournament, and went on to capture the title for the first time in 15 years.

In the state tournament, DePaul posted three impressive road wins, bringing them to the sectional final against who else but Holy Angels one more time. In a tremendous game, the Spartans rallied in the final minute, and pulled out an amazing 61-60 win. Fittingly, the winning shot came not from one of the big name players but from Kate Branagan, a senior who was part of the team from day one.

Though the Spartans fell in the state final, they finished with a 20-7 record and two banners in one of the greatest seasons in school history, and DePaul is our JSN Girls' Basketball Team of the Year.

Players of the Year

Jade Walker, DePaul
Samantha Tabakman, Pequannock

Two of the better inside players in North Jersey share our honor. Walker was a transfer to DePaul from Columbia High School, and when she became eligible to play, the Spartans were a different team. Her presence inside gave more room to the shooters on the perimeter, and she piled up points and rebounds under the basket. Walker also showed the ability to shoot from mid-range and even handle the ball, and as a sophomore, her upside is scary for other area teams.

Tabakman, a junior, is receiving this honor for the second year in a row. Once again she was asked to carry a huge amount of the load for Pequannock, and helped her team to a 17-10 record. Tabakman scored about 19 points per game and averaged more than a dozen rebounds per game, while also contributing blocked shots and steals. Her numbers are even more impressive since many teams designed their defenses specifically to stop Tabakman.

Towering over the opposition and anchoring the middle for their respective squads, Jade Walker and Samantha Tabakman are the JSN Girls' Basketball Players of the Year.

Coach of the Year

Vinnie Porta, Wayne Hills

It was another strong season for the Lady Patriots, who earned a division title and won 17 games despite a difficult schedule. As usual, Porta's team was one that opponents would not want to face because of its defensive prowess.

Wayne Hills showed its strength on defense in its key game against Lakeland that clinched the league title. The Patriots didn't allow a single basket in the first half as they built an unassailable lead. Wayne Hills defeated DePaul early in the season, and in the rematch, even with the Spartans at full strength, the Patriots kept the game very close.

Porta has made Wayne Hills a force in local girls' basketball, and for that he is our JSN Girls' Basketball Coach of the Year.

-- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now