Mount Saint Dominic hoop team, under West Orange resident Jerry Aquino, gains first win

CALDWELL –  Powered by a balanced effort which saw points produced by 10 of the 11 players on the varsity roster, the Mount Saint Dominic Academy basketball contingent tripled the total registered by homestanding Weequahic, as the Lady Lions roared to a 66-22 victory on Tuesday, Jan. 19, in Newark.

Leading the Lady Lions, who are guided by longtime MSDA head hoops honcho Jerry Aquino, a lifelong West Orange dweller, was Alysse Jefferson, a junior point guard from Lafayette who scored 11 points, to go along with two rebounds snared, a pair of assists and one steal.

The Mount led 22-1 at the end of the initial eight minutes of play, 38-5 at the intermission and 49-17 heading into the final frame, as the Lady Lions contingent earned its first victory of the season, while WHS remained winless and fell to 0-9 on the year.

Among the list of other MSDA players who helped lead their team to the win were Carlette Parramore, a senior forward from Orange who ended up with nine points and two boards, Kerry McCauley, a junior center from West Caldwell who contributed eight points and three caroms collected, Mackenzie Mendola, a junior shooting guard from Nutley who added nine points, three assists and two takeaways to her team’s totals and Gabby Radici, a sophomore power forward from Montville who registered two points and three rebounds in the win.

“The Weequahic girls had trouble handling our pressure defense  and, as a result, we came up with a lot of turnovers and, in turn, ended up scoring a lot of points off those turnovers,” assessed Aquino, adding, “It was nice to get a win and we’re hoping that this will help us significantly as the season continues.”