Second Girls Basketball Hall Class Set for Induction

08:24AM / Wednesday, January 29, 2014Print Story | Email Story

Fourteen women and men will be inducted into the Berkshire County High School Girls Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Taconic High School.

The hall's board of directors this week announced the second class for induction: 11 players (representing 10 schools), two coaches and one contributor to the game.

The Hall of Fame induction activities will be followed by a varsity game between Taconic, the home of the hall, and Lee. Each school will be represented in the 2014 Hall of Fame class.

There also will be a free youth basketball clinic open to all county girls youth players and teams and a social that evening at J. Allen's Restaurant.

A non-profit organization with the mission of recognizing accomplishments and services within the history of Berkshire County high school girls basketball, the Hall of Fame was established in 2012 based on the vision of long-time local coach, Bob O’Neil. The names and honors of the inductees will be displayed permanently in the Taconic High School gymnasium.

The clinic will take place at Taconic High School for 3rd through 5th graders from 10 to 11 a.m. and 6th through 8th graders from 11 a.m. to noon. All clinic participants will receive a free ticket to the afternoon Hall of Fame Game. A brief on-court Hall of Fame inductee recognition ceremony will take place at 3 p.m., followed by a 3:30 Lee vs. Taconic varsity match-up.

Following the game, all are invited to join the Hall of Fame inductees at an informal social at J. Allen’s Restaurant on North Street in Pittsfield. The Hall of Fame Social is open to the public at no cost. A limited selection of appetizers will be served, with a full menu also available to event attendees.

The Berkshire County High School Girls Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2014:

Players:

Sue Carpenter, Mount Everett 1980s. Two-time Athlete of the Year, captain at Clark University, NCAA Elite 8 participant.
Jen Bennett, Mount Everett 1990s. 1,788 Career Points, two-time all-Western Mass Selection, Endicott College.
A. J. Skowron, Lee, 1990s. Assumption College, 1,000-point club, state champion.
Nicky Vallieres, Hoosac Valley 1990s. Hoosac Valley's all-time girls leading scorer, American International College, National Women's Basketball League.
Abigail Lemanski, Lenox, 1990s. All-Berkshire selection, St. Michael’s College, 1,000-point club.
Katlyn Cunningham, Drury, 2000s. 1,265 career points, Western Mass finals, played at Union College.
Courtney Shepard, Pittsfield, 2000s. Back-to-back state finals, 1,498 career points, Western Mass champion.
Lauren Pelligrino, Monument Mountain, 1990s. Western Mass champion, Adelphi University MVP, 1,000-point club.
Shannon Hoosick, Wahconah, 1990s. All-Berkshire selection, 1994 Western Mass champion, 1,010 career points.
Peg Kirby, St. Joseph, 1940s. 1,344 career points, national AAU tournaments, multi-sport Star.
Maureen Michaels, Taconic , 1990s. 1,500-point scorer, Western Mass Champion, Drexel University.

Coaches:

Tom Cinella, Lee. Twenty seasons as head girls coach, six-time state champion, 470 career wins, 15 –time Western Mass champion, 55-game winning streak.
Fred Lafave, Lenox, 46-year coaching career, coached boys and girls teams simultaneously for eight years, only coach in Massachusetts history to lead both boys and girls to state championships.

Contributors:

Mike Kinne, Great Barrington, 48-year officiating career, 1960s-present, MIAA state finals referee, Berkshire County officials assignor & mentor, WBEC Award Recipient.