Girls' Basketball Team Scores Victory Against Livingston
Cougars produce even record, 2-2
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The up-and-down start to the Cranford girls' basketball season should come as no surprise, given the Cougars' youth. Their 45-21 victory over previously unbeaten Livingston on Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the West Orange Holiday Classic evened their record at 2-2.
After opening with a blown-lead loss to Oak Knoll, the Cougars limited Hudson Catholic to seven points in an easy victory but fell to New Providence a couple of days later.
So despite acknowledging she has talent and depth, Cranford coach Jackie Huber is far from ready to assess her team's potential.
"I would say it's way too early," she said shortly following the Cougars' cruise past the Lancers. "The talent is there. We just have to put it all together."
Most of it came together on Tuesday, especially a defense that forced 32 turnovers and limited the Lancers to 5 of 21 shooting. It was also a cold-shooting night for Cranford, which knocked down only 17 of 53 shots, including 4 of 19 from beyond the arc, but it mattered little. Thanks to all those turnovers and a 37-22 Cranford rebounding advantage, Livingston got off 32 fewer shots than the Cougars.
"We could have done a better job of penetrating and kicking or going to the basket instead of relying on our outside shot, because they're not always going to fall," Huber said. But Huber also said several of her players have the green light from deep.
"We're a good three-point shooting team," she said. "So really no shot is a bad shot for us."
Cranford showed good balance in the contest, with sophomore Jess McCoy leading the way with 11 points. Kaitlyn McGovern, also a sophomore, added 10. But the Cougars couldn't have gotten off to a much slower start, unless they were the Lancers, that is. Neither team scored over the first four minutes until Mairead McKeary got inside for a bucket. Over a five-and-a-half minute span from that point, the Cougars scored 16 points, with McCoy knocking down a pair of perimeter shots late in the first period to give Cranford a 9-0 lead after one period. After Livingston finally got on the board with a free throw a few seconds into the second period, McCoy scored on a rebound basket, drew the foul and made the free throw, and the rout was under way.
Livingston finally got its first field goal at the 6:35 mark of the second period, but Sarah Gugliucci answered with a baseline runner and a 16-footer to expand the lead to 18-3. Morgan Miller drilled a three from the top of the circle and added a runner in the lane a minute later. Brie Capece came in off the bench and immediately knocked down another three-pointer as Cranford carried a 28-9 lead into the locker room.
By halftime, the Cougars had snagged 10 steals and would add seven more in the second half.
"We work on defense a lot," Huber said. "So we're trying to get everyone on the same page defensively. We're concentrating more on that than we are on offense."
If the Lancers were entertaining any notion of a rally, it was quickly squelched in the third period. McGovern made a nifty drive along the baseline for a scoop bucket, McCoy added a steal and breakaway and Gugliucci hit a 16-footer for a 39-12 lead after three periods.
Things got a little sloppy in the fourth quarter, with a Cranford team largely comprised of reserves committing seven turnovers. But Jenna Goeller, who dished out three assists and had two steals, knocked down a three, and Capece added another to set the final margin.
After McCoy's 11 and McGovern's 10, Gugliucci followed with eight, while Capece added six and Miller five. But the balance wasn't limited to scoring. Six Cougars had four or more rebounds, and five had multiple steals. Miller led the way on the glass with six boards, followed by five each from McGovern and Gugliucci. McCoy added four and Jackie Monteagudo came off the bench to pull down four.
McGovern had four steals, with Miller snagging three. McCoy, Gugliucci and Goeller recorded two apiece. Gugliucci, Miller and Goeller each dished out three assists.
"It's nice to have a deep bench," Huber said. "Most teams have only five or six to rely on but we can take somebody out and put someone in that's equal. I've got my post players, but I don't really have a definitive point guard. Sometimes it's Morgan, sometimes Jenna. Even Jess will run it."
The Cougars also have another important commodity: size. While they don't have a dominant post player, size-wise, they have plenty of rangy guards who can wreak havoc on defense and find lots of open looks from the perimeter.
"It's nice to have that," Huber said. "Overall, we're pretty tall. We can do a lot of stuff on defense."
The Cougars play in the second round of the tourney on Thursday at 5 p.m.
After opening with a blown-lead loss to Oak Knoll, the Cougars limited Hudson Catholic to seven points in an easy victory but fell to New Providence a couple of days later.
So despite acknowledging she has talent and depth, Cranford coach Jackie Huber is far from ready to assess her team's potential.
"I would say it's way too early," she said shortly following the Cougars' cruise past the Lancers. "The talent is there. We just have to put it all together."
Most of it came together on Tuesday, especially a defense that forced 32 turnovers and limited the Lancers to 5 of 21 shooting. It was also a cold-shooting night for Cranford, which knocked down only 17 of 53 shots, including 4 of 19 from beyond the arc, but it mattered little. Thanks to all those turnovers and a 37-22 Cranford rebounding advantage, Livingston got off 32 fewer shots than the Cougars.
"We could have done a better job of penetrating and kicking or going to the basket instead of relying on our outside shot, because they're not always going to fall," Huber said. But Huber also said several of her players have the green light from deep.
"We're a good three-point shooting team," she said. "So really no shot is a bad shot for us."
Cranford showed good balance in the contest, with sophomore Jess McCoy leading the way with 11 points. Kaitlyn McGovern, also a sophomore, added 10. But the Cougars couldn't have gotten off to a much slower start, unless they were the Lancers, that is. Neither team scored over the first four minutes until Mairead McKeary got inside for a bucket. Over a five-and-a-half minute span from that point, the Cougars scored 16 points, with McCoy knocking down a pair of perimeter shots late in the first period to give Cranford a 9-0 lead after one period. After Livingston finally got on the board with a free throw a few seconds into the second period, McCoy scored on a rebound basket, drew the foul and made the free throw, and the rout was under way.
Livingston finally got its first field goal at the 6:35 mark of the second period, but Sarah Gugliucci answered with a baseline runner and a 16-footer to expand the lead to 18-3. Morgan Miller drilled a three from the top of the circle and added a runner in the lane a minute later. Brie Capece came in off the bench and immediately knocked down another three-pointer as Cranford carried a 28-9 lead into the locker room.
By halftime, the Cougars had snagged 10 steals and would add seven more in the second half.
"We work on defense a lot," Huber said. "So we're trying to get everyone on the same page defensively. We're concentrating more on that than we are on offense."
If the Lancers were entertaining any notion of a rally, it was quickly squelched in the third period. McGovern made a nifty drive along the baseline for a scoop bucket, McCoy added a steal and breakaway and Gugliucci hit a 16-footer for a 39-12 lead after three periods.
Things got a little sloppy in the fourth quarter, with a Cranford team largely comprised of reserves committing seven turnovers. But Jenna Goeller, who dished out three assists and had two steals, knocked down a three, and Capece added another to set the final margin.
After McCoy's 11 and McGovern's 10, Gugliucci followed with eight, while Capece added six and Miller five. But the balance wasn't limited to scoring. Six Cougars had four or more rebounds, and five had multiple steals. Miller led the way on the glass with six boards, followed by five each from McGovern and Gugliucci. McCoy added four and Jackie Monteagudo came off the bench to pull down four.
McGovern had four steals, with Miller snagging three. McCoy, Gugliucci and Goeller recorded two apiece. Gugliucci, Miller and Goeller each dished out three assists.
"It's nice to have a deep bench," Huber said. "Most teams have only five or six to rely on but we can take somebody out and put someone in that's equal. I've got my post players, but I don't really have a definitive point guard. Sometimes it's Morgan, sometimes Jenna. Even Jess will run it."
The Cougars also have another important commodity: size. While they don't have a dominant post player, size-wise, they have plenty of rangy guards who can wreak havoc on defense and find lots of open looks from the perimeter.
"It's nice to have that," Huber said. "Overall, we're pretty tall. We can do a lot of stuff on defense."
The Cougars play in the second round of the tourney on Thursday at 5 p.m.
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