Glen Ridge junior Savannah Steele lays up a shot during the 36-33 road win over Verona on Jan. 12.
GLEN RIDGE, NJ — There is still a lot of buzz surrounding the Glen Ridge High School girls basketball team as it gets ready for the new season.
The Ridgers, under fourth-year head coach Mike DelloRusso, are coming off a sensational season in which they finished with a 24-5 record after making a run to the championship game of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 state tournament. Glen Ridge unfortunately fell to a strong University of Newark team in the final.
Glen Ridge, which won 18 straight games to begin last season, returns virtually the entire team, losing just one player to graduation – captain Jada Cush.
Most of the players honed their skills over the summer, playing for their respective AAU teams. Unfortunately, two of the players suffered knee injuries in the summer and will miss the start of the season, which begins Thursday, Dec. 14, at Barringer in Newark.
DelloRusso mentioned the team has a competitive schedule. They will host Saddle River Day, a state perennial power, in the final regular season on Feb. 15, looking to avenge last year’s loss at Saddle River Day. The Ridgers will also participate in a showcase on Jan. 13 in Camden, where they will compete against Lansdale Catholic of Pennsylvania.
This year’s captains are Savannah Steele, Maeve O’Sullivan and Olivia Gist.
Like many Glen Ridge fans, DelloRusso can’t wait to begin the season.
“We return a lot of firepower from last year,” DelloRusso said. “We should be alright. It should be a fun season.”
Photo Courtesy of Doug Snyder
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