Winter 2011-12 Preview: Island Trees Girls Basketball

The Island Trees girls basketball program is turning to a new option for the 2011-12 season in hopes to compete for a conference title. What the Lady Bulldogs lack in physical size, they plan to make up for intensity and pressure at any given moment in their games.

“My returnees are very good leaders and take care of my underclassmen," said eleventh-year head coach Andy Schneider. "They demonstrate the way that we do things because we play at such a high pace and with extreme intensity. We have a large variety of plays and defenses, so we will never do the same things in a game.”

Island Trees finished last season with a 10-6 overall record and a 7-5 mark in Conference A-IV. The girls made the playoffs but were trounced in the first round by a tough South Side team.

The Lady Bulldogs will be returning all five starters from last season, including All-County player Maggie Milonakis. The senior co-captain will be competing in her fourth varsity season under Coach Schneider.

“We are trying to work on our new system and how well we work as an overall team,” Milonakis said. “We are trying to make it a very good season this year.”

Senior co-captains Nicole Pellegrino and Bridget Vilbig, who both earned All-Class honors last season, will look to make an impact on both sides of the ball in the Lady Bulldogs’ “chaos” style of play as they have deemed it.

“When you pressure teams, they are rushing and get their shots off really quickly, so it helps us get off more shots,” Pellegrino said. “All of our players are athletes, so it doesn’t matter who we have in because we are all able to run.”

Island Trees will need to rely on a mix of veteran talent and young players, such as ninth grader Brianna Wilson, who earned All-Conference honors last season, and sophomore Cassie Paskins, a returning starter. Senior Allie Merrill, who recently earned All-State honors for soccer in the fall, will look to contribute as well.

“We have some experience and look to help out the younger girls," Vilbig said of the team chemistry. "It makes us better as a team and makes us more together."

11 of the 15 girls on the team also played soccer together this past fall season for coach Schneider. The familiarity with one another should be incremental in helping Island Trees take its season a step further this year.

Island Trees will be challenged in league play by teams such as North Shore, Mineola and Seaford. Valley Stream North, Roosevelt and Clarke round out the pool.

The Lady Bulldogs will travel to the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida after Christmas to compete in the “KSA Holiday Tournament”. They will match up with challenging opponents such as Heritage (Fl.), Wilmington (Mass.) and Nease (Fl.). (For more information on the tournament, click here.) 

Up first is the Oyster Bay Tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 7 with a game against East Meadow. The winner of the game will play either Glen Cove or Oyster Bay in the championship on Friday.

“In the league, Mineola is always a game we circle, so if there is one team we want to beat, that is it,” Schneider said. “North Shore is also a great test, but anyone can beat anyone in this conference.”

For complete schedule information for Island Trees, visit the Nassau Boces Athletics page.