Basketball: Even ill, SJ senior fills role (03-02-06)
Group A Girls Basketball -- By Ryan Sonner (Daily Staff Writer)
QUICKSBURG — Cassidy Mongold means more to the Stonewall Jackson girls basketball team than points, rebounds and assists.
That's a good thing, considering she ranks near the bottom of the pack in all three statistical categories. What Mongold does bring to the table, however, are the intangibles every team needs to be successful.
And it all starts with her toughness. Mongold, the Generals' lone senior, already has played through a broken finger and a badly bruised toe. Even when she can't play, she still finds a way to contribute.
Mongold was diagnosed with both strep throat and the flu Friday, the day Stonewall defeated Amelia in the Region B semifinals. She missed that game but hoped to recover in time to suit up against Clarke County the following night in the title game.
But her temperature rose to 103 degrees, and for the second straight day, Mongold was told not to leave her house. Just before the Generals took the court Saturday night, coach Jeff Burner read a short note to the team, about three or four sentences, written in red ink.
"Let's keep this season going," the note read. "Win one more for me."
It was signed by Mongold.
"That was super sweet," Stonewall junior point guard Kallie Hovatter said. "It was definitely a confidence builder and we wanted to win that game big time for Cassidy."
So as the Generals battled the Eagles for the regional title, Mongold sat alone, listening to the game on the radio. She was still sick, but well enough that her parents felt comfortable leaving her at home while they made the trek to Charlottesville.
The Generals ended up losing the game, but they already had clinched a spot in the Group A state quarterfinals, giving Mongold at least one more opportunity to wear the red and white.
"I really hated not being there," Mongold said before practice Tuesday. "I wanted to be there and help them, especially because we had all those people in foul trouble. It was very frustrating."
Stonewall Jackson (20-5) will play Region A champion Franklin (25-2) in the state quarterfinals Saturday at 3 p.m. at Suffolk's Lakeland High School. The winner will play either Clarke County or King William in the state Final Four next Thursday at Virginia Commonwealth's Siegel Center.
In the Region B final, the Generals missed Mongold's toughness. More importantly, they missed her five fouls. Freshman forward Molly Beall picked up her third midway through the third quarter, and by the time the outcome was decided, all but one player had four fouls. Without Mongold, Burner was left with a seven-man roster, not nearly enough to hang with Clarke County, which used all 13 players in each quarter.
"It was scary stuff on Saturday," Burner said. "I was wondering if we'd have enough to finish."
Mongold finds herself in a unique position, being the only senior on a team loaded with youth and inexperience. Stonewall's starting five consists of Mongold, two juniors (Hovatter and Brittany Koontz) and two freshmen (Beall and Jessica Richardson).
Mongold's main responsibility — other than being a steady perimeter shooter and a relentless defender — has been to guide the group of freshmen along and help them adapt to the speed and physical nature of varsity basketball.
So far, so good. Stonewall captured the Shenandoah District regular season championship and finished as the runner-up in the district tournament. Hovatter is far and away the team's most productive player, averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and more than five assists. Mongold, meanwhile, chips in with three points and a little more than two rebounds per outing.
"She's a role player on the court, but she's been a good leader," Burner said. "She'll always put the team first."
While the other seven players on the team have next year to look forward to — no matter how this season ends — this is Mongold's final shot at a state championship.
"I put more pressure on myself," she said. "I want to have the best game because it might be my last chance."
