Vineland celebrates its 115-year history of girls' basketball
VINELAND – For those in attendance for Thursday’s Millville-Vineland rivalry game, it was part basketball and part history lesson.
As National Girls & Women in Sports Month began, Vineland head coach Will Breese wanted to honor the school's past and present female athletes.
Along with recognizing all of the girls sports programs at the school, Breese took a deep dive on the girls’ basketball program.
And in Vineland, there’s plenty of history.
The program was one of the first in state to take the court, starting in 1909.
“It was a lot of fun to look that stuff up,” Breese said. “This program has been around for 115 years and I’ve been coaching for 15 of them.
“Honoring the women and girls in sports, it’s something near and dear to my heart.”
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When Vineland girls starting playing hoops, it was a 6-on-6 game that was limited to just half-court. The girls' game didn’t go to 5-on-5 until 1975 and didn’t incorporate all the same rules as the boys’ game until 1984, according to Breese's research.
Vineland also honored its conference championship teams from 2010-11 and 2020-21 as well as recognizing their 11 players with 1,000 career points.
“It’s amazing,” said Janae Williams, who was a member of the 2011 champion team and is a current assistant coach with the Fighting Clan, said about the reunion. “When we get together, it’s like family all over again.
“I miss playing a lot, but I love being an assistant coach. It makes me still want to play.”
Kyra Lunsford, another member of the 2011 team, had plenty of fond memories of playing on Irv Gosman Court.
“I hadn’t seen the girls in many years, but to come back and reconnect, it was great,” said Lunsford, who is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Rutgers-Camden women’s basketball team. “Our team really had a family dynamic, that’s one of the things I remember most about them.”
Breese was an assistant coach under Rick Baruffi for the 2011 season before he became the head coach and guided the Fighting Clan to the championship a decade later.
Many of the 2011 team returned for the celebration, while seven players from the 2021 are still playing in college and couldn’t make the event.
Thalia Duncan, a current senior who was part of the last championship squad, said she was impressed with the long hoops tradition.
“To learn about all that history and how the game has developed, I’m so proud to be a part of it,” said Duncan, who plans to go to college and study criminal justice in the fall.
The game has certainly changed over time. So have the uniforms.
Out were the skirts the players wore back in the old days. On Thursday, the Fighting Clan unveiled alternate uniforms in the City of Vineland’s green and purple colors with the city’s logo of grapes and red numbers of 115 on the shorts.
There were also cheerleaders at this game and, of course, Rowdy Rooster, who wasn’t even hatched until 1967.
The game
After learning it will be the 11th seed in the upcoming Cape-Atlantic League Tournament, Millville captured its second straight win and raised its record to 8-10.
Under first-year head coach Stephanie Labas, the Thunderbolts have already eclipsed last year’s win total of seven.
“It’s my first year and I wasn’t really sure coming in how the vibe would go or how the girls would react and feed to it,” Labas said. “They’ve been nothing but committed and working hard. They go out there, and no matter if they’re up or down, they’re always working. You can really see the progress of the team since the beginning of the season.”
Fresh off a 21-point game against Cedar Creek, junior Brianee Edwards delivered a career-high 22 points for the Thunderbolts.
“Brianee’s ability to drive to the basket really helps open up the court and gives us looks at scoring,” Labas said. “We’re really looking forward to see what she can do in the future and how she can improve.”
The results
Millville 57, Vineland 44
M: Brianee Edwards 22, Brooke Joslin 16, Jaylynn Jones 14, Aubree Joslin 5.
V: Brittney Herbert 12, Thalia Duncan 4, Lionys Aldoy 9, Julissa Vincente 15, Zamiya Borgese 2, Tykira Tucker 2.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Vineland High School celebrates its girls' sports programs
