Cougars Claw Way to 45-37 Victory
Girls' basketball team tops Linden
If you want to know why that 7-1 Linden team that rolled into Cranford on Friday afternoon looked for most of the game like a 1-7 team, you need look no further than the Cougar defense.
Cranford snagged eight steals in the first quarter – 17 overall – and came away with a closer-than-it-should-have-been 45-37 victory. It was their sixth in a row and improved them to 7-2. Sophomore Jess McCoy led the way with 14 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks.
“We definitely knew they were going to be tough team,” McCoy said. The big thing for us was rebounds; we knew we had to box out and crash boards. The biggest thing is us being aggressive and being all over the place and getting transition off steals. We knew this was a big one so we came prepared.”
That early pilferage allowed the Cougars to race to a 13-2 lead after one period and it was 24-8 at intermission, when Linden had made only 3 of 18 shots and turned it over 16 times. Throughout the contest, Cranford made Linden pay for its failure to account for a breakout player off missed Tiger shots. Of the Cougars 17 field goals, seven were the result of fast break buckets, some off steals but more simply off defensive rebounds and long outlet passes to streaking teammates.
“We really work on pushing the ball up the floor with minimal dribbling,” Cranford coach Jackie Dyer said. “Passing the ball makes it harder for them to steal it.”
Though Linden opened the second half with renewed vigor, forced early turnovers and scored the first four points to get within 12, Cranford settled down to launch a 15-1 run and open up a 37-13 lead. Kaitlyn McGovern scored inside off one of Jenna Goeller’s five assists to get things started. Morgan Miller, who had 12 points, 10 rebounds four assists, two steals and two blocks, hit a three, and McCoy scored three consecutive buckets – off a steal, a stickback and a 16-footer. Miller ended the run with a pair of free throws with 2:24 left in the half.
And that would have appeared to be the end of any Linden hopes. But the Tigers suddenly got the Cougars caught up in their frenetic, chaotic style of play and things began to unravel. After Miller’s free throws, Jada Lewis caught fire for Linden, scoring 11 of her team high 13 points over a six-minute span. From the 2:24 mark of the third period to the 2:45 mark of the final quarter, the Tigers outscored the Cougars 19-2. Lewis hit one of two free throws to narrow the lead to 39-32 and Shannon Wheeler actually got a good look at a three to narrow it to four with 2:52 left. McGovern ended the Linden run with a free throw but Wheeler nailed a 16-footer and the lead had been suddenly whittled to six, still with 2:30 left.
“You have to tell them to relax but you also have to remember these are freshmen and sophomores, so they’re young and it’s hard for them not to feed into the intensity,” Dyer said. “But I think for 90 percent of the game, they did a phenomenal job on defense. A lot of points we scored in the first half were off our defense.”
Miller settled things down by dribbling to the right wing and whipping a pass inside to Mairead McKeary for a lay-up, and Goeller made two free throws with a minute remaining to make it 44-34 and put it away.
The Linden bus arrived some 20 minutes late and it appeared early on as though the Tigers never got off of it. A running bank shot and a pair of free throws by Miller opened up a 4-0 Cranford lead before Wheeler scored Linden’s only bucket over the first 10 minutes of the contest. Goeller started a 9-0 run with a three-pointer and three straight lay-ups – two by McCoy and one by McKeary made it 13-2 after one period. Cranford forced 10 of Linden’s 27 turnovers in the opening stanza. Cranford coughed it up 24 times.
In addition to McCoy’s 14 points and Miller’s 12, Goeller added six points, four rebounds, four steals and five assists, with McGovern collecting five points, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks. McKeary added four points and two steals and Sara Gugliucci came off the bench for four points.
The Cougars made 17 of 47 shots, including 3 of 11 from three. They converted 8 of 11 free throws. Linden (7-2) was under 25 percent (11 of 46) from the field and made 12 of 17 from the line.
Cranford travels to 4-3 Brearly for a 4 p.m. tip on Tuesday. Brearly is coming off a 57-24 drubbing at the hands of Dayton on Friday.
Cranford 40, Holmdel 39
Jenna Goeller found Jess McCoy under the basket on an inbound feed and McCoy provided the winning points on Tuesday. Morgan Miller led the way with 21 points, five rebounds, five steals and six blocks. McCoy added 12 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and six steals. Cranford led by four points heading into the final period.
Cranford 33, Union Catholic 16
On Jan. 6, the Cougars put the clamps on Union Catholic, shutting them out in the second period. McCoy had 13 points and added five steals and a block. Miller chipped in seven points, four blocks, six steals and five rebounds.
Cranford snagged eight steals in the first quarter – 17 overall – and came away with a closer-than-it-should-have-been 45-37 victory. It was their sixth in a row and improved them to 7-2. Sophomore Jess McCoy led the way with 14 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks.
“We definitely knew they were going to be tough team,” McCoy said. The big thing for us was rebounds; we knew we had to box out and crash boards. The biggest thing is us being aggressive and being all over the place and getting transition off steals. We knew this was a big one so we came prepared.”
That early pilferage allowed the Cougars to race to a 13-2 lead after one period and it was 24-8 at intermission, when Linden had made only 3 of 18 shots and turned it over 16 times. Throughout the contest, Cranford made Linden pay for its failure to account for a breakout player off missed Tiger shots. Of the Cougars 17 field goals, seven were the result of fast break buckets, some off steals but more simply off defensive rebounds and long outlet passes to streaking teammates.
“We really work on pushing the ball up the floor with minimal dribbling,” Cranford coach Jackie Dyer said. “Passing the ball makes it harder for them to steal it.”
Though Linden opened the second half with renewed vigor, forced early turnovers and scored the first four points to get within 12, Cranford settled down to launch a 15-1 run and open up a 37-13 lead. Kaitlyn McGovern scored inside off one of Jenna Goeller’s five assists to get things started. Morgan Miller, who had 12 points, 10 rebounds four assists, two steals and two blocks, hit a three, and McCoy scored three consecutive buckets – off a steal, a stickback and a 16-footer. Miller ended the run with a pair of free throws with 2:24 left in the half.
And that would have appeared to be the end of any Linden hopes. But the Tigers suddenly got the Cougars caught up in their frenetic, chaotic style of play and things began to unravel. After Miller’s free throws, Jada Lewis caught fire for Linden, scoring 11 of her team high 13 points over a six-minute span. From the 2:24 mark of the third period to the 2:45 mark of the final quarter, the Tigers outscored the Cougars 19-2. Lewis hit one of two free throws to narrow the lead to 39-32 and Shannon Wheeler actually got a good look at a three to narrow it to four with 2:52 left. McGovern ended the Linden run with a free throw but Wheeler nailed a 16-footer and the lead had been suddenly whittled to six, still with 2:30 left.
“You have to tell them to relax but you also have to remember these are freshmen and sophomores, so they’re young and it’s hard for them not to feed into the intensity,” Dyer said. “But I think for 90 percent of the game, they did a phenomenal job on defense. A lot of points we scored in the first half were off our defense.”
Miller settled things down by dribbling to the right wing and whipping a pass inside to Mairead McKeary for a lay-up, and Goeller made two free throws with a minute remaining to make it 44-34 and put it away.
The Linden bus arrived some 20 minutes late and it appeared early on as though the Tigers never got off of it. A running bank shot and a pair of free throws by Miller opened up a 4-0 Cranford lead before Wheeler scored Linden’s only bucket over the first 10 minutes of the contest. Goeller started a 9-0 run with a three-pointer and three straight lay-ups – two by McCoy and one by McKeary made it 13-2 after one period. Cranford forced 10 of Linden’s 27 turnovers in the opening stanza. Cranford coughed it up 24 times.
In addition to McCoy’s 14 points and Miller’s 12, Goeller added six points, four rebounds, four steals and five assists, with McGovern collecting five points, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks. McKeary added four points and two steals and Sara Gugliucci came off the bench for four points.
The Cougars made 17 of 47 shots, including 3 of 11 from three. They converted 8 of 11 free throws. Linden (7-2) was under 25 percent (11 of 46) from the field and made 12 of 17 from the line.
Cranford travels to 4-3 Brearly for a 4 p.m. tip on Tuesday. Brearly is coming off a 57-24 drubbing at the hands of Dayton on Friday.
Cranford 40, Holmdel 39
Jenna Goeller found Jess McCoy under the basket on an inbound feed and McCoy provided the winning points on Tuesday. Morgan Miller led the way with 21 points, five rebounds, five steals and six blocks. McCoy added 12 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and six steals. Cranford led by four points heading into the final period.
Cranford 33, Union Catholic 16
On Jan. 6, the Cougars put the clamps on Union Catholic, shutting them out in the second period. McCoy had 13 points and added five steals and a block. Miller chipped in seven points, four blocks, six steals and five rebounds.
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