By Kim J. Harmon

SOUTHBURY – Gregg Simon has had some great teams in the past but none as great as this . . . where three starters are, arguably, the best at their position in the South-West Conference; where the sixth man off the bench is a certifiable star; and where the seventh, eighth and ninth players off the bench are not just two-minute subs but players who can contribute in any number of different ways.

And to have all that and still know that his star center was forced to miss to season due to an ACL injury, coach Gregg Simon must be in hog heaven.

“All of the credit goes to the kids,” he said. “So many kids contributed in so many ways. It was truly a team effort.”

Six different players scored better than 100 points this season and all nine players scored in double figures at least once – giving the Lady Nighthawks an astonishing combination of skill and depth the likes of which few coaches have ever seen before.

Seeing it made coach Simon comfortable with his constant references to February 25.

“All season long,” he said, “down in the team room when we had our talks, I always alluded to February 25 and being able to take down a piece of the net and I told the girls to continue to push themselves as hard as they could.”

The girls pushed and pushed and won 20 games – a school record – enroute to their first conference championship.

It didn’t seem possible, at the beginning of the season, when Amanda Marsilio went down in a pre-season scrimmage with Ridgefield, suffering a season-ending ACL injury, but the Lady Nighthawks had so much talent waiting to get its chance to shine.

Lori Iwanicki emerged as the team’s top scoring threat, leading the team in field goals (95), total points (253), average (10.5), free throws (90) and free throws made (61). Iwanicki (an All-SWC first team selection), who scored just three points as a freshman, was one of those players who saw their playing time go up because of the hole in the lineup and she made the most of it.

“We were upset that Amanda was gone,” said Lori, “we knew that everyone would have to step up and fill her shoes.”

Jayme Beckham (All-Colonial Division) stepped up alright, coming in second on the team in field goals (74), points (208), average (9.0), free throws (88) and free throws made (57), and she did a lot of that after coming in off the bench. Although she started at the beginning of the season, coach Simon felt her energy and positive influence would better serve the team in a sixth-man role.

“She made the ultimate team sacrifice,” said coach Simon. “She gave up her starting role to come in off the bench and never complained once.”

Lisa Masella was the player, perhaps, who was on the spot the most this season. She saw limited time as a freshman, scoring 49 points, but now – in the absence of Marsilio – had to fill a much bigger role. All she did was score 185 points (8.8 a game) while providing a strong, dependable presence in the middle.

“I was extremely nervous,” she admitted, “but I just had to get over it and play – and play the way I knew how. It’s a good feeling (playing so well), but it’s a whole team effort. It wasn’t just me who had to step in a fill some shoes.”

Yes, Kate Ryan (All-Colonial Division) had to fill the double-wide captains shoes on her own on the floor, trying to keep the young group of sophomores focussed and on the move. With so many weapons on the floor, Ryan wasn’t forced to become a big scorer but nevertheless still scored 183 points (7.9 a game) and had big games against Kolbe Cathedral, Joel Barlow, Brookfield and – in the playoffs – Bunnell.

And then there was Ally Gellert (All-Colonial Division), who merged her tremendous offensive skills (170 points, 10 three-pointers) with a tough brand of defense that helped carry her team through the SWC championship and earned her the SWC Tournament MVP award.

“I was hoping (a championship) would happen,” said Ally, “but I realistically didn’t think it would. It’s still sort of a shock.”

Morgan Haines – arguably the best point guard in the conference – showed herself to be an amazing distributor of the ball who could, when necessary, spot up and hit some shots (120 points, two three-pointers). And when she made it to the free throw line, there was no one steadier (35-of-45, 77.8%).

That’s just the top six, though. Lauren Adamek, Mary Bell and Jessica Oswald did more than just come in and give the starters a rest. Adamek was solid in the middle and not afraid to shoot (79 points, with her season high an 11-point effort against Stratford) while Bell (70 points, with her season high an 18-point effort against Stratford) kept the offense moving quickly up the floor with her speed.

“We knew we had a really talented class and had to step up (with Amanda gone),” said Bell. “I wasn’t surprised (winning a title), because we knew we could do it and I was happy to be a part of it.”

One of the last pieces of the puzzle was junior Jessica Oswald, who emerged last season as a long-range scoring threat. But a back injury suffered during soccer season kept her play limited and she missed seven games right in the heart of the season when she aggravated the injury again. But when she was healthy, she was dangerous, scoring 10 points against Weston early on.

“No, I’m not really that disappointed (about not playing more),” she said. “The whole experience has been great.”

It was an experience enjoyed by many and made possible not only through the skill and perserverance of the players, but also the efforts of a three-person coaching staff that molded this talented team together.

“A huge part of the team’s success can be attributed to the efforts of my assistants, Cynthia Klebon and Ken Good,” said coach Simon. “It was truly a three-person effort. We spent a tremendous amount of time together and the camaraderie has been something special.”