January 09, 2025
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Hall girls hoops hoping for more consistency

By Clark Teuscher

Princeton's Maggie Davis battles Hall's Promise Giacometti and Mia Mautino for a rebound during a game last season. Mautino and Giacometti are part of a small group of returning players for the Red Devils. (BCR photo/Kevin Hieronymus)

A whirlwind of a 2020-21 season has left the Hall girls basketball program facing a 2021-22 campaign which figures to restore some routine to the Red Devils’ schedule as coach T.J. Orlandi looks to bring together a small group of returners in time to be a contender in the Three Rivers Conference East Division.

Hall faced lengthy gaps in its 2020-21 campaign due to COVID-19, which rendered consistency in practice and competition elusive.

The Red Devils finished 2-9 overall and 2-4 in the conference last season.

The challenges the Red Devils faced, however, could prove to serve as building blocks for the coming season.

“It was just tough,” Orlandi said. “We couldn’t prepare like we normally do, and sometimes didn’t know if we were going to play or not. When that happens, you begin to learn how to keep yourself focused and mentally ready. It feels like we’re getting back to a little more normalcy, but we’ll find out if that’s really the case.”

Sophomore guard McKenna Christiansen, a Second Team All-TRC East pick a season ago after putting up 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, heads the list of returners for the Red Devils, who must replace all-area pick Jaclyn Cinotte (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals per game).

“She had a really good summer season, and we played a pretty challenging schedule,” Orlandi said. “You can see the improvement from last year, and even since this summer, already in practice.”

Mia Mautino is the Red Devils’ lone senior, while junior Promise Giacometti figures to contribute substantially after gaining valuable experience as a sophomore.

“Mia can shoot, and we’re expecting her to help out McKenna on the outside,” Orlandi said. “(Giacometti) got thrust into a lot more varsity action than we expected, but she really stepped up. She’s probably the fastest player on our team and got better and better as the season went on.”

Juniors Jaden Jones and Toni Newton and sophomore Brooke Spoonmore will provide depth as well for the Red Devils, who open competition in the Seneca Girls Thanksgiving Tournament.

“We’re going to face some good teams right off the bat,” Orlandi said. “I’m interested to see how we’re going to respond. We just want to keep getting better and be playing at our best when conference play starts.”