Trio of guards leads Ambridge
Callie Iorfido, Jodi Calderone, and Kelly Calderone always stand in that order and join hands every time the National Anthem is played. The pregame ritual is representative of the three pairs of hands which hold together the Ambridge girls basketball team.
The Calderone sisters and Iorfido are three of the top guards in the WPIAL. They have led the Ambridge girls basketball team to the school's first section title since 1991, and to the postseason. The No. 3-seed Ambridge (23-1) plays Fox Chapel (12-11) in a first-round game at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at North Hills High School.
'They are three-of-a-kind,' Ambridge coach Tom Cvitkovic said. 'They are always together. They are together so much that I have to separate them some times during drills in practice.'
It is easy to separate them from other guards in the WPIAL when it comes to pure skill and desire to compete. The trio isn't very tall, but what the three lack in height they make up for in speed, adept ball handling, and proper positioning for rebounds.
'When people think of Ambridge they think of me, Jodi and Callie, but this is a team effort,' Kelly Calderone said. 'You can't play three on five, you have to play five on five.'
History The Ambridge girls basketball team won its first section title since 1991. The Bridgers did it after moving up to Quad-A this season. Ambridge certainly isn't the tallest Class AAAA team, but the Bridgers have three of the best guards in the WPIAL to go with balanced scoring. Here is Ambridge's starting five with a breakdown of average points per game: NameHt.Pos.PPG
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Iorfido said if it weren't for Ambridge's forwards, Jen Yaworsky and Amanda Hideck, it wouldn't matter how well the guards played, because the forwards do most of the rebounding and handle Ambridge's solid inside game.
Ambridge defeated Butler on Feb. 5 to win the Section 3-AAAA title. Cvitkovic gathered his team in the locker room and told his players to be unselfish with the ball, and selfish about winning the game, so they could claim the section crown.
'You can't say enough about Ambridge's guards,' Butler coach Jonna Huemrich-Burke said. 'We tried to cut them off and send them baseline more, because they really hurt us the first time we played them. But they can make things happen no matter what defense you put on them.'
What is most impressive about Ambridge's success this season is the Bridgers moved up to Quad-A.
'We were a little upset because we were a better (Class) AAA team,' Iorfido said. 'Also, we knew every game in Quad-A would be big. In AAA. we had some easy games.'
They've made it look easy this season.
'We have become more familiar with each other, and know where the other person is going to be on the court,' said Iorfido, who plays AAU basketball with the Calderone sisters for Joe Costa and Pat McGinnis of the Pittsburgh Rockers. 'We talked, and decided that we have to play together to be successful.'
Winning the section championship alone was a goal, especially for senior Jodi Calderone. Iorfido, a junior, and sophomore Kelly Calderone wanted to be part of that goal.
'Jodi and Kelly are like my sisters,' Iorfido said. 'Jodi is my best friend. We are always together, whether we are at basketball, or at each other's houses. Their family is like my family, and my family is like their family.'
A family atmosphere is what the Ambridge team has emulated this season. If one player is having an off night, another will pick up the slack. There were some people who doubted Ambridge would be competitive in Quad-A, but playing against tougher teams has only motivated the Bridgers more.
'I was pretty nervous at the beginning of the year, but coach helped us believe in ourselves,' Kelly Calderone said. 'He is always positive. We took it from there and are executing our offense and playing pretty tough defense.'
In addition to winning the section title, Ambridge achieved another goal of defeating WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA defending champion Blackhawk this season.
'This team is special because of our intensity, and we never give up,' Jodi Calderone said. 'We have a lot of heart on this team. No one taught us that. We taught ourselves to have heart.'
Cvitkovic agreed.
'This team plays with heart, and I am so proud of them,' he said. 'We knew we could be good, but we were also coming into Quad-A. It helped playing good (Class) AAA teams. It has been a magical season, and it's not over yet.'
