Girls Basketball Wins League Champions

pictured: Angelica Do ’26 drives to the basket.

Leonia High School’s girls basketball team has officially done what they once deemed to be impossible: they became League Champions for the first time since 1995. 

On January 29th, 2024, the Lady Lions went up against Bogota’s girls basketball team for the league title. The game was very intense and the score constantly bounced between the two teams. Freshman Dani Daproza scored 16 points, senior Tea Zivkovic scored 15 points, and sophomore Angelica Do scored a season high of 33 points. Their combined effort, along with the rest of the team, is what led the Lady Lions to victory. 

 The team’s season-long demonstration of exceptional athleticism and strategy set the stage for their run at the championship. A key player in the team’s success was head coach Joseph Prenenski who created a winning formula that combined each player’s different skill sets in order to produce a cohesive team. During practices, each member of the team showed exceptional focus and a remarkable commitment to improving their skills as they were driven by a shared passion for success this season. 

When asked how the Lady Lions embraced teamwork and collaboration during their games, Assistant coach James Case stated, “There is not one component bigger than the team itself.” Senior at LHS and captain of the team Regan Lynch agrees with her coach and finds the aspect of teamwork quite important when playing basketball. She noted, “When playing with a team as competitive as this one it’s important to make your teammates feel valued no matter the situation.” 

Additionally, Regan made an effort to thank her team for their shared effort. She said, “I am so incredibly proud of everyone on this team and the way we fought the whole season and were able to show we aren’t the same program we were years ago.”

Congratulations to the Lady Lions on their incredible achievement!

Edited by: Katerina Romanides