The glass slipper fits perfectly for the Jericho girls basketball team.
It’s been a Cinderella story for the North Shore program — which is putting up one of the school’s best seasons — with the quarterfinal-bound Jayhawks hoping to continue the magic with another playoff win, head coach Andy Schneider said.
“Making the playoffs for Jericho is a big deal,” he told The Post after a nail-biting, 46-36 opening-round victory over Mepham.
“And, advancing in the playoffs, it’s only happened three times in their history.”
Clearly, anything goes this season for the 15-6 team that Schneider “wanted to feel the happiness and joy” that accompanied success.
There have been plenty of pleasant surprises this winter that not only defied expectations, but also changed opponents’ perspectives.
Birds of prey
“We used to be people’s senior night … we were the sacrificial lamb,” said Schneider, who has been coaching the Jayhawks for 12 seasons.
“That doesn’t happen anymore.”
The squad’s deepest playoff run since 2018 — it was a healthy 20-something years before that — is largely thanks to a core of girls who have been five-year varsity players since middle school, like captain Sadie Krangle.
“We’ve all grown together, and we’ve been able to practice and grow as a team,” said the 12th grader expected to hit 1,300 career points Saturday.
The all-state point guard has grown throughout high school and has learned not only to trust her leadership, but also her shot.
“When she was younger, I had to beg her to shoot more,” Schneider said.
“She just makes everyone around her better.”
Krangle has been instrumental in the Jayhawks’ bombs-away approach, shooting from deep and helping the team average 21 points per game from beyond the arc, often spelling out checkmate with 3-pointers.
“I feel like everyone’s equally the same threat from outside the perimeter,” said freshman guard Angela Tan, who is playing her second season on varsity.
“I think that’s what makes us a really special team and hard to guard.”
Tan is taking the baton from Krangle as a meaningful voice for the next iteration of Jayhawks and said the older girls have taken her under their wing to do great things.
“I know I should be looking up to my peers and everything, but I feel like they make us more like equals,” she said, adding that the seniors have helped her play level-headed and without negative emotions.
Schneider is also plenty fired up for the special season, according to Tan, who said, “He’ll yell at the referees, even though he might get a technical.”
“I’ve been calm this year,” Schneider said jokingly.
Fight or flight
The generational success culminated in another milestone: hosting an opening-round home playoff game rather than the Jayhawks being road warriors.
“We’ve never even received a home playoff game before, let alone won one,” said Schneider.
It also came against a well-respected Mepham squad that bested Jericho in last year’s playoffs, 68-41.
“Being able to win at home was really, really special,” said Krangle, who took in the packed house and electric atmosphere.
Now the Jayhawks face their toughest challenge yet in going against the 20-0 MacArthur Generals on Saturday.
“We know it will take a monumental effort,” said Schneider, whose team lost twice to the Generals this season.
But the Cinderella girls don’t want the clock striking midnight just yet.
“These next few practices are really huge for us,” Krangle said.
“Being able to apply what we learn at practice onto the court and be able to run our plays and be efficient on offense and defense … it would be amazing to win.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
