In Focus
IN FOCUS Young, tall and on the rebound Tall is nothing new to the Olympic Conference, and this season's crop of low-post players is attracting plenty of attention.
IN FOCUS
Young, tall and on the rebound
Tall is nothing new to the Olympic Conference, and this season's crop of low-post players is attracting plenty of attention.
Genevieve Okuro, a 6-foot-1 sophomore center, and Morgan Halbruner, a 6-1 junior forward, give Eastern a solid inside game. Halbruner grabbed 41 offensive and 61 defensive rebounds last season as a bench player. She'll be starting with Okuro, a freshman phenom last season with 175 boards.
Camden Catholic's Serifat Junaid, a 6-1 sophomore center, displayed agility and the kind of low-post presence that distinguished her as one of the conference's best inside players. A long-jump champion and the sister of Rutgers player Rashidat Junaid, she averaged five blocks, eight rebounds and 10 points a game as a freshman.
Bishop Eustace has Ifeoma Obian, a 5-11 junior forward, and Jackie Schluth, a 6-2 forward/center. "We are very young, with size and girls who can play," Eustace coach Dom Reitano said.
Timber Creek is also talented up front, with Zakia Matthews, a 5-11 senior forward/center, and Stephanie Leonetti, a 5-11 forward. Matthews helped lead the Chargers to a 10-0 division record a season ago.
Shawnee senior Erin Wolgamo is a 6-2 center who grabbed 10 rebounds and scored in double numbers last season. A four-year starter, Wolgamot improved her performance in the low post at the end of last season, and could blossom into a dominant player.
Washington Township's Gina Turdo, a 6-0 senior forward, is effective in the low-post area.
- Bill Iezzi