Terriers’ attitude good despite start

“We’re off to a tough start, but we played some really strong teams,” Thomas College of Waterville women’s basketball coach Jim Verry said of a 1-5 start.

“Five of our first six games were against playoff teams. It’s hard going up against so many in a row, especially when some are nationally ranked.”

But playing a strong schedule is Verry’s philosophy, and he’s not about to back off. He is not discouraged, and neither are his players.

“Their attitude is just great,” he said.”They’re a hard-working bunch who like playing together. Every practice and every game they give it all they’ve got. Second semester will be a little different.”

One factor contributing a slow start is several players competed in soccer last fall.

“It is hard to go right from the soccer field to the basketball field,” Verry said.

Thomas is relying on seniors Mo McInnis, a forward from Westbrook; guard Kelly Record of Clinton; and forward Kathleen Hogan of Jay to pull the team together.

Considering their basketball background, they are fine leaders, Verry said. “They’ve done a great job. None were all-state players in high school, but they’re getting a chance now to be go-to players. That is nice for them. They worked very hard to get where they are and they’re having fun playing college basketball. They’re a scrappy team.”

A lot of responsibility for keeping Thomas in games has fallen to sophomore Danielle Dupuis of Robbinston, a 5-foot-11 inside player.

“She’s been doing a very nice job with a lot of pressure on her shoulders,” Verry said. “We’re expecting an awful lot from her offensively, and her defense is coming around. She has good moves, and has improved a lot considering she came off the bench last year. She’s working hard at learning to be a go-to player.”

Freshman Sarah Fenderson, from Cony of Augusta, starts at point and Verry is willing to go out on a limb when he describes this rookie, who is averaging 23.4 points per game, and has 20 three-pointers in five games.

“She is a very exciting player,” he said. “She sees the floor really well; she plays tough defense; she can hit the three. I would say she’s the most exciting player we’ve had, and that’s saying a lot because we’ve had some very fine people.”

Fendersen “was heavily recruited by top Divison III schools in New England, so I’m glad she chose us.”

He is also happy a few more Eastern Mainers chose Thomas, like 5-7 guard Heather Reynolds, who played for Shead of Eastport.

Teresa Underwood is a 5-4 point guard from Presque Isle. She started for the soccer team, but is coming off the bench in basketball, and Verry expects her to improve as the season progresses.

Tina Dudley wasn’t a starter when at Belfast, but Verry is convinced she will contribute to his program as will Karen Troy, a 5-11 freshman from Tewksbury, Mass., and 5-6 Westbrook freshman Tasha Marston.

Verry likes the calibre of player coming to Thomas these days, and he likes giving athletes a chance to compete in college. He intends to continue to recruit north of Waterville, because he, said, “I like the quality of play and the level of play up there.”