'We Left Our Hearts On The Floor,' Says Lady Panthers Coach

A year after the girls' varsity team bid farewell to its formidable senior front five and its longtime head coach, the Lady Panthers in Division II, an accomplishment that head coach Chris Corsinetti noted after Johnston's 38-37 loss to Classical at Rhode Island College on Mar. 5.

"We're winners — we left our hearts on the floor, and that's all you can ask for, and when you leave your hearts on the floor, you're winners," explained Corsinetti, who apprenticed with longtime coach Dan Mazzulla for 15 years before taking the helm this season. "They just show such great resiliency every time they step out on the court, and tonight was no exception."

Freshman Karina Mattera's three-pointer fell short as time expired, giving Classical the win and a berth in this weekend's D-II state finals against Narragansett, who beat Moses Brown, 55-32, in the late game.

Corsinetti also credited his young team, who notched a six-game win streak during the regular season en route to a fourth-place finish in D-II North, with standing up to the challenge of a more experienced Classical squad.

"You've got to remember, there's a senior backcourt, a senior person down low — that's a senior-dominated team, and you've got to know that at some point they're going to take over the game," Corsinetti explained. "We ran our freshman as hard as we could."

And, even though the result didn't go their way, the Lady Panthers now have valuable experience to build on next year, Corsinetti said.

"We battled back like we always do — I think the atmosphere finally got to the kids, it's a wild atmosphere with a lot at stake, but it's great, because now it's great experience for them," explained Corsinetti. "You're down by one, you have a last chance to win the game, I'll take that all day long — especially considering where we came from at the beginning of the year and where we ended up."

More articles on this topic:

• Sports Brief: JHS Falls To Classical, 38-37.
• Live Blog: Girls' Division II Basketball Semifinals, Mar. 6, 2012
• Lady Panthers Eke Out 46-43 Win To Advance in D-II Tourney, Mar. 5, 2012.
• Lady Panthers Score Home Playoff Win, Mar. 2, 2012
• HS Sports: Lady Panthers Host Playoff Game; Cougars Finish 14-2, Feb. 28, 2012
• HS Sports: Winter Teams Playoff Bound, Feb. 22, 2012
• HS Sports: More Ws For Cougars, B-Ball Teams Eye Playoffs, Feb. 15, 2012