Holmdel High School Girls' Basketball Team
Completes Winning Season
BY LES PIERCE
Ryann Taylor
Holmdel Schools’ Denise Wrubel receives
NJAGC Administrator of the Year Award
The Holmdel Board of Education is proud to announce that Holmdel
Supervisor of Supplemental Programs Denise Wrubel has been
awarded the 2021 New Jersey Association of Gifted Children (NJAGC)
Administrator of the Year Award.
Every year, the NJAGC recognizes individuals in New Jersey who
Wrubel has more than 30 years of experience in education as a
classroom teacher and administrator. She earned her bachelor’s degree
in Education and a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction at Georgian
Court University and currently serves as the Supervisor of Supplemental
Programs for the Holmdel Township schools.
Wrubel is a passionate educational leader who advocates for
the growth and learning of students. She has led workshops on many
aspects of curriculum and instruction, including G&T services and data-
driven instruction.
12 APRIL 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
“The Holmdel School District has the honor of announcing this
well-deserved recognition of Denise Wrubel’s lifelong commitment to
improving educational outcomes of students and developing outstanding
instructional programs for our gifted students,” said Interim Superintendent
Dr. Lee Seitz.
The New Jersey Association for Gifted Children is a passionate advocate
promoting programs, networks and legislative actions to meet
the needs of gifted learners statewide. Believing a strong and supportive
partnership between parents and educators serves to increase understanding
and expand opportunities for the gifted, NJAGC continues
to be a champion for gifted children. NJAGC is a volunteer group which
comprises parents, educators and students both past and present and is a
this spring, along with last year’s winners, whose event was canceled due
to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Holmdel High School girls’ basketball team
completed a winning season with a 10-5 record.
A better perspective of how well the team performed
is gained when considering two losses were
to Saint John Vianney, the No. 1 team statewide as
ranked by NJ.com. They also incurred a loss to No.
7-ranked St. Rose High School.
Key to the success of the Hornets was a bal-
close to 100 points on the season. Ryann Taylor
paced the squad with 136 points; 81 of those
points came from outside the arc. The Williams College
bound senior also swiped 57 rebounds.
Olivia Palmer racked up 60 points from threepoint
land, and her total production hit 124. She
also pulled down 66 rebounds and has committed
to play for Richard Stockton College next year.
The future of Holmdel basketball will likely
rest on the shoulders of sophomore Alexandra Loucopoulos.
She put up 105 points, with her best performance
an 18-point outing against Matawan.
Senior Lindsay Cannon netted 98 points. She also cleared 40 rebounds
and recorded 19 steals.
Abbey Ferguson led the Hornets in rebounds with 78. The junior
pumped through 96 points and is credited with 21 steals. Colgate University
Head Coach Bill Cleary received some good news on Dec. 28 when
Ferguson committed to join the Raiders upon graduation.
“The girls did a great job of coming together in a very compressed
and challenging season,” stated 11th year Head Coach Darren Ault. “Their
paid off as we were able to avoid any problems from
COVID and got all 15 games completed. Under the
steady leadership of captains Ryann Taylor and Lindsay
Cannon, we were able to put together some very
strong efforts, especially in our second game against
Saint John Vianney. Prior to the game at their gym,
the announcer was touting the fact that SJV was No.
1 in the Shore, No. 1 in the state, and No. 9 in the
country. I repeated that to the girls in our pregame
huddle and let them know the only thing I was looking
for from them was to be No. 1 in Holmdel that
night. We went on to play one of our best games of
the season that night, tied at the end of one quarter
much for us, as they pulled away in the fourth quarter,
but the girls never stopped playing and working
together. The really special thing about our team is
that every night we got contributions from different
people – whether scoring, rebounding, defense or
hustle plays. Our biggest challenge was always to realize
what lies within us and to demand our best from each other. Having
leaders like Lindsay, a ferocious competitor with a drive for excellence
and a willingness to do anything in helping her team, and Ryann, a rapidly
maturing basketball mind with tremendous scoring talent, helped
provide the foundation for our successes. We have a great foundation to
build from for next year with returning players like Abbey Ferguson, Katherine
Martini, Mia Giamanco, Katie O'Brien, Alexandra Loucopoulos, Erica
Stolker and Allison Cannon.”
/TheJournalNJ.com
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