It’s been 18 years since Byron-Bergen girls basketball entered the Section V playoffs as the top seed in their Class and 40 years since their one and only Section V championship, but this Bees squad is showing all the markings of one that can be the second for at least one of those accomplishments.
With a 32-point win over Attica on February 4, Byron-Bergen improved to 11-2 this season and have done it largely playing as a team.
“Just work as a team and all of us contribute; we just have to keep working as a team,” said senior Janessa Amesbury, who leads the team scoring over 24 points per game. “We just work great as a team, see each other so well.”
In the Attica game, seven different players had rebounds, seven scored points and three blocked shots – and that with two senior regulars missing due to sickness.
“What’s really helped is Amesbury averaging 24-plus (points per game) and that’s before her 33 tonight,” 21-year varsity head coach Rick Krzewinski said. “And Olivia Senf shot real well tonight with four threes, and our point guard (sophomore Riley Shallenberger) can make some things happen. So, when the three of them are clicking like they did in the first half tonight, good things happen.
“Plus, when our other starters do what they need to do, play good defense and work hard and don’t make mistakes, it works.”
In addition to Amesbury, who also leads the team with 88 rebounds including 51 offensive boards, Shallenberger is scoring in double figures at 11 points per game to go with 60 assists in 12 games, and Senf is averaging eight ppg. Junior guards Simone Scharvogel and Megan Jarkiewicz also have each chipped in 50 points this season, and senior forward Natalie Prinzi is second on the team in rebounding.
One of the Bees’ two losses came against Elba in mid-December, who is ranked first in New York State among Class D schools. The other was against Oakfield-Alabama in mid-January.
“It was a tough loss – we definitely could have won that game, but everything happens for a reason,” Amesbury said about the O-A game.
Byron-Bergen over the years is regularly in the mix near the top of the standings, usually as a two or three seed for the postseason; success that can be at least partially credited to their system.
“I put this offense in back in 2014 or 15 and went to the five-out and stayed with it and done a good job with it,” Krzewinski said. “It unclogs the middle and if you’ve got some ball handlers, especially if they’re quick, they can beat somebody off the dribble backdoor. I’m going to keep running it as long as it works.”
The Bees are being chased by defending champion Bloomfield, who returned all five starters, but B-B has played fewer games as of this writing and hold the cards to earn the top-seed if they win out.
They are 8-0 this season when scoring 50 or more points and 3-2 when less than 50. The regular season concludes February 19.
“It’s (the season) kind of been a surprise; I expected us to do well, but I was coming off an injury this summer and I didn’t know if I could play as good as I am,” Amesbury said. “And just the team overall.”
“If we win out, we get the one seed; if we lose one, there’s a possibility they (Bloomfield) can pass us, so I just keep telling the girls we just need to keep winning, winning, winning,” Krzewinski said.
