Forest Hills High School Girls Basketball Looking Up

Forest Hills' girls basketball team makes the jump up to the "A" level following a 13-5 season in Queens East "B". It's a decided step up for a group that returns three starters, but the landscape is much the same.

"I think it's great; it's good for the kids," said Forest Hills' second-year coach Michelle Davis. "A lot of the teams in "A" we went up against last year. We split with Edison and Hillcrest. Those were very close games. I'm looking forward to playing them again."

The Lady Rangers convincingly The win bore all the earmarks of an aggressive, pressure-oriented team: Forest Hills pressed and trapped on defense with some success, they pushed the pace, and relied on defense to generate offense.

"Defense is our thing," said Davis. "Defense is big. Our press, we'll play a 1-2-2 defense. Our offense will come from that. Our offense will create steals and lay-ups."

That defensive thrust starts with sophomore guard Imani Frances. Frances is returning from a torn ACL suffered last November. The wily lefthander does a lot of things well, but defense is her calling card.

"Her defense is amazing," said Davis. "She creates, I'd say, 90 percent of our steals."

Senior guard Pareese Hankerson is the team's emotional leader and captain.

"She's the team leader," said Davis. "She gets us going. She's good on offense and defense."

Junior guard/forward Sharon Rios is the designated shooter, and drilled three 3-pointers in the win over John Adams.

Freshman Jodi Humphrey is charged with replacing the Lady Rangers only graduated starter, Rios' sister, Pierina Lopez, at point guard. Humphrey, one of three lefties in the team's starting lineup, isn't tall but brims with moxie.

"She's little but she gets in the middle and gets right in there," said Davis.

Davis packed the non-league schedule with A-level teams that will challenge her group. The Lady Rangers are 3-0 so far out of league, with wins over Brooklyn Collegiate, Scholars' Academy, and Townsend Harris.

"We play a lot of good, A-level teams non-league," said Davis. "Everyone we scheduled in non-league is tough."

The 2010-2011 Lady Rangers will have continuity on their side, with many returning players. They will run, they will press, and play an exciting, fast-paced brand of basketball.

"We're quick and we love to run," said Davis. "As you can see, we don't have a lot of size.

"We built on everything from last year. Jodi was really the only (new starter). It's the same defenses, the same presses from last year."