Head Coach Mike Naunton will be the first one to admit that wins in the IAAM will be harder to come by this season.

The high majority of teams periodically go through some sort of re-building phase, and Naunton�s Mount Carmel team is doing exactly that this season.

On Thursday, the Cougars celebrated a 49-35 non-conference win over Rambam, as senior guard Meghan Hartnett led the way with a game-high 16 points.

Mount Carmel is now 3-6 overall, including other non-league wins over Jemicy and Indian Creek. Hartnett also paced the Cougars in that earlier win over Indian Creek, going for an impressive triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals.

In the C-Conference, the Cougars are currently 0-5, suffering lopsided losses to Annapolis Area Christian (by 50), Catholic (49), Garrison Forest (32), Park (51) and Friends (39).

No coach, or player, enjoys going through such a phase, and especially after having enjoyed such success on the opposite end of the spectrum. Mount Carmel made it to the C-Conference championship game each of the last three years, beating St. Timothy�s for the title in 2006 and then falling to Annapolis Area Christian in 2007. The Cougars were 21-5 overall and 14-2 in the C-Conference in the regular season.

�Our roster has only four players who dressed in last year�s championship game, and only three of whom saw significant time. This year�s roster consists of seven freshmen and sophomores, four of whom see significant time,� said Naunton.

Last year, Naunton had the luxury of turning to not one and not two, but three All-Conference players. Guard Brianna Grap set the school�s all-time scoring mark and could be counted on for anywhere from 17-20 points on most nights. The Lithuanian �Twin Towers� of Ernesta Griciunaite and Sandra Liegute were dominant inside, providing points, rebounds and plenty of rushed or altered shots by opponents. The three generally combined for 42.5 points per game � or 87% of the teams� offense - and 25-plus rebounds game in and game out. So, more so then any other team in the league, graduation took its toll on the Cougars.

�Life without the three seniors has been different.  We are at a whole different mind set.  Last year we polished skills and game planned. This year we are totally concentrating on fundamentals and basics.  The biggest loss has to be Grap. She was the point guard, and handled pressure well. When we can get into sets we are competing this year,� added Naunton.  �Our current girls are improving daily. Hartnett has stepped up and leads us in scoring and rebounding, and Kelly Brown gets better every day at point.  Forward Steph Sokol is rebounding and learning to play more of a low post than last year.�

In Thursday�s win, Naunton nearly had three players in double figures. Including Hartnett�s 16, he received 10 points from Sokol and nine from Brown. Hartnett also had 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Sokol pulled down eight, along with three blocks. Senior C Kristen Antlitz added five points and six rebounds.

Hartnett and Brown were scoring from the perimeter early in the game against the Rambam zone, while Sokol added points by getting offensive put-backs and getting to the line. The Cougars used a combination of half-court zone and full-court pressure to build and maintain their lead.

As for The Big Three, Liegute is back home in Lithuania; she broke her leg in June and just began working out in December.  She plans on returning to the United States next year.

Griciunaite is at State Fair Community College in Missouri, just outside St Louis.  She is there on scholarship, but is not seeing a lot of time this year as one of eight freshmen on Coach Darren Pannia�s roster.  The Lady Roadrunners are 13-1 and currently ranked No. 14 in the national Junior College poll.

Says Pannia on the addition of Griciunaite, �Once she learns the style the physical play of Juco basketball, she will be fine. You can�t teach height, and she is a legit 6�3�. That definitely gives us another quality post player.�

Grap, meanwhile, is playing locally at College of Notre Dame for second-year Coach Rob Long.  The Gators are 3-6 overall and compete in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC). Grap has started five of eight games, and is averaged 22 minutes per game. She is third on the team in scoring with 7.4 points per game.

Yesterday, in a 93-50 loss to Rowan, Grap came off the bench and led the Gators in scoring, giving Long 13 points, as she was 2-5 from behind the arc and 5-6 from the free throw line.

As for this year�s Cougar team, �We are learning and competing at the varsity level, which will only help us in the upcoming years, as we only have two seniors on the current roster,� says Naunton.� A few more wins like Thursday�s can only help the confidence.

Mount Carmel will look to carry that improvement over to league play this week, facing Beth Tfiloh, Key and Oldfields, and hopefully getting that first league win.

Mount Carmel 49, Rambam 35
R � Tzriel 3, Ronit 1, Arielle 12, Yael 6, Deen 4, Elig 5, Kira 1, Sarit 2, Shira 1. Totals: 13 8-15 35.
MC � Brown 9, White 4, Mitchell 3, Sokol 10, Hartnett 16, Leonard 2, Antlitz 5. Totals: 16 16-19 49.
Half: MC, 24-16.

Ernesta Griciunaite, freshman center at State Fair CC in Missouri.