Cougars aims for Federation championship

In 2008 Alexis Smith was a skinny freshman who looked like a junior high school player that showed up to the wrong game. The St. John the Baptist guard paled in comparison to opposing players on the nationally ranked St. Michael Academy girls basketball team, which could have been mistaken for a college team with all its size.

It was the state CHSAA AA semifinal and Smith started. She scored only two points, but was on the court for her defense. St. John the Baptist won that game, but lost in the Federation AA final to Bergtraum.

Now a senior, Smith is one of her team's top players and hopes to lead the Cougars back to that point.

"I want to get back to the Federation championship," said the point guard who is bound for the University of Illinois. "It's so important. I want to leave high school on a high note."

There have been many high points for the Cougars over the years. St. John the Baptist has won six of the last seven NSCHSAA championships. While the New York area is known for powerhouse teams such as Christ the King and Bergtraum, the Cougars have represented Long Island well.

St. John started opening eyes in 2005 when it beat nationally ranked Bergtraum. The Cougars ended Christ the King's 17-year reign as state champion in 2007 and won the championship again in 2008.

"I think the teams in the city have learned to respect us," Dartmouth-bound Kamala Thompson said. "They look at us as underdogs and think they can beat us, but because we're consistent in beating them, they have learned to respect us."

Who better to ask than Allysia Rohlehr, who transferred to St. John from St. Michael. The Manhattan school closed this year and most of the players went to Nazareth, but the trip from her Long Beach home to Brooklyn was too time consuming and St. John the Baptist was an easy choice for Rohlehr.

"When I was in the city my coaches always talked about St. John the Baptist," said Rohlehr, a guard who will attend Albany next year. "They are the team to beat in Long Island. Everyone in the city knows about them, I tell you that. I think we're up there with those teams. We have a lot of talent."

Rohlehr knows what it takes to win at the most competitive level. She played a key role when St. Michael defeated Bergtraum two seasons ago in the Federation AA final. Without hesitation, she said a Federation championship is the goal for the Cougars.

"We can play with those teams," she said. "We have a good chance. When we won at St. Michael's, a lot of the things we do here remind me of the same things we did there. There's no reason why we shouldn't win. We have all the tools we need. We have speed, skill, guards that run the floor and defense."

Smith, Thompson, and Rohlehr all signed with Division I schools and junior forward Anastasia Williams and junior guard Brianna Thomas are also drawing interest from Division I schools. Senior forward Kristen McMahon, senior guard Lindsey Minor and sophomore guard Aliyah Smith provide the Cougars with depth.

"We have seven seniors, which is unusual for us and they're battle-tested," Cougars coach Ted Oberg said. "This would be the year to make a run at the state title."