Cranford 45, Linden 37

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-4932747140785610856/cranford-45-linden-37-high-school-girls-basketball-scores-and-results/

Cranford 45, Linden 37 (High school Girls Basketball scores and results)

The Star Ledger, January 14, 2011 8:14 p.m.

By Chris Orlando
Jessica McCoy of Cranford had a good idea what kind of defensive effort it would take to stop Linden.
“We knew we would have to be at our best,” McCoy, a sophomore guard, said. “We’ve been working on our man-to-man the last couple of games and were hoping that would work out.”
McCoy had a season-high 14 points along with 13 rebounds, five steals and two blocks and Morgan Miller added 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks when Cranford put forth its best defensive effort of the season in a 45-37 victory over Linden yesterday in Cranford.
The victory was the sixth straight for Cranford, which halted Linden’s winning streak at six. Linden entered the game scoring 52.0 points per game.
Cranford held Linden to a season-low two points in the first quarter and to just eight points in the first half.
“We work on our defense about 90 percent of the time in practice,” Cranford coach Jackie Dyer said. “Even though we’re very young, we have a lot of talent that can get the job done.”
McCoy and Miller each had four points when Cranford took a 13-2 lead after the first eight minutes. McCoy finished the first half with eight points and Miller had seven as Cranford built a 24-8 lead.
“We knew they were a good team and that we’d have to play strong defense,” Miller, a junior guard, said. “They were ranked No. 2 in the county, so it’s a big win for us.”
Linden scored the first three points of the third, but Cranford responded with a 9-0 run, led by McCoy's four points and Miller's 3-pointer, to push the lead to 33-12 midway through the period.
Linden fought back, scoring the final five points of the quarter and starting the fourth on a 14-2 run to cut its deficit to 39-32 with 4:24 remaining. Jada Lewis, who finished with a team-high 13 points, had nine points in the spree.
A basket by Shannon Wheeler (12 points) with 2:15 left pulled Linden within 40-34, but Cranford answered with a bucket by Mairead McKreary off a great pass from Miller with 1:45 left to bump the lead back to eight. McKreary, a sophomore forward, finished with four points and three steals.
Sophomore guard Jenna Goeller made three of four free throws in the final minute to seal Cranford's third straight victory over Linden over the last three seasons.
“I was a little nervous in the fourth quarter,” said McCoy, who is averaging 10.6 points this winter. “But once the starting lineup was back in we were fine.”

Cranford 45, Linden 37 (High school Girls Basketball scores and results)
Final	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	T
Linden	2	6	10	19	37
Cranford	13	11	13	8	45

 

Player Stats
Cranford - Game stats
Player	#	FG	3FG	FT	Reb	A	S	Blk	Pts
Jessica McCoy	20	7	0	0	13	0	5	2	14
Sara Gugliucci	24	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	4
Mairead McKeary	13	2	0	0	1	0	3	0	4
Jenna Goeller	4	0	1	3	3	0	2	0	6
Morgan Miller	3	1	2	4	9	0	1	2	12
Kaitlin McGovern	22	2	0	1	3	0	1	1	5