FROM Hasbrouck Heights Patch 2/25/2012: Daniella Castellanos became the first Hasbrouck Heights basketball player (boys or girls team) to reach thousand points in her career for the first time in 10 years.
With a basket in the fourth quarter against rival Wood-Ridge on Friday night, the senior guard hit the mark, the first for the school since Maria Copell did it in 2002. Copell finished with 1,275 points at Heights.
Despite the record mark the Aviators lost 62-40 in the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Meadowlands B division contest. The two teams meet on Monday (5 p.m.) in the state tournament at Wood-Ridge High School.
Coming into the game Castellanos needed 14 points to reach the mark. She collected seven points in the first half and got the historic basket with 5:56 remaining in the game.
Hasbrouck Heights sophomore Marc Mastropietro just missed a trip to the state finals in Atlantic City last year. As a freshman, the Aviators wrestler had finished fourth at 103 pounds at the regions in West Orange with the top three heading south to the state finals. But this season, as a sophomore, he is aiming for that coveted trip to the state finals.
In addition he won his first district title as Mastropietro dominated Passaic’s Tykker Womack, 8-1, on Saturday to win the 113-pound title at Becton Regional High School.
“I think he has a little more confidence this year and has really matured,” said Hasbrouck Heights head coach Craig Messery about Mastropietro.
Mastropietro had not wrestled Womack before so he just took it like a usual match and kept away any thoughts of winning a district title. “I just went in and looked at it as another wrestling match and did not get nervous,” said Mastropietro who added what he is doing this week to prepare. “I am just practicing everyday and keeping my weight down.”
Some of the top wrestlers that he will face at the West Orange regional include Luis Gonzalez, who finished second in the 103-pound weight class last year, and Paul Scully of Verona, who Mastropietro defeated earlier this season, 5-1. “I just have to go in and feel confident and wrestle my style,” said Mastropietro.
Mastropietro joined senior Edward Cox (second at 145), junior Alec Claudio (third at 152), junior Alex Hodulik (second at 160) and freshman Mauro Altamaura (third at 182) to qualify into the regions
