By Juliana Becht
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The Camden County College women’s basketball team fell short to Passaic County Community College on Nov. 23 in the Papiano Gym, losing 61-45. The loss to the Panthers snapped the Cougars’ five-game winning streak.
“We must get better in several areas and we will continue to work hard to not only get better in those areas but to grow as a team,” Cougars Head Coach Chip Reitano said after the game. “We have 13 freshmen on the team. This is their first experience at playing college basketball, so there is a bit of a growing period.”
Freshman Erica Paranzino had eight points and three rebounds for the Cougars in the game.
“I think my performance today was not too bad but I think that I can definitely do better. There are some things that I wish I could’ve done differently and need to work on,” Paranzino said. “I think the team’s performance today was only a fraction of the potential performance we have. We’ve been struggling with scoring easy baskets and free throws, which greatly impacted today’s results.”
Sophomore Isabella Boyle stated, “This year’s team is ambitious and always comes ready to work. They’re super supportive of each other and I know each one of us can lean on one another. I’m excited to jump back into the games with them shortly.”
The team’s record this season is 5-2. Reitano said the season “has been pretty good butut we have to be more consistent in our plays.”
The team’s next game will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 25 against Lehigh Carbon Community College in the Papiano Gym.
“My strategy for coming back stronger next game is to move on from the mistakes of today and start fresh but not forget the things I did wrong. If I spend too much time hung up on the mistakes I’ve made, I usually make more,” Paranzino stated.
Boyle stated, “After each game all we can focus on is getting better and getting more prepared for the next win. Working hard at practice will shine through during games.”