http://cranford.patch.com/articles/freshman-maucione-helps-cougars-avenge-earlier-loss
Freshman Maucione Helps Cougars Avenge Earlier Loss
Cranford girls' basketball team wins 52-48.
If the Cranford girls have learned anything in their two meetings this season with Oak Knoll, it is that the Royals don’t go away easily. The Cougars lost a big lead in a season-opening setback to Oak Knoll and gave away most of a 14-point lead on Tuesday night in Cranford.
But the Cougars had a weapon in this game that they didn’t rely on much in that first loss to Oak Knoll – freshman Carly Maucione – and that was the difference in a 52-48 Cranford win. The Cougars improved to 10-3.
Not only did Maucione record a season-high 15 points, she made four critical plays down the stretch when Oak Knoll was threatening to repeat its feat from December.
“She’s very young and we’ve been working with her to be more confident and comfortable out there,” said Cougar head coach Jackie Dyer of Maucione. “And she definitely showed that today. She’s working very hard. It’s nice when you can have people who can come off the bench and do just as well as the people coming out of the game.”
The Royals had an opportunity to whittle that 14-point lead all the way down to one or two with 4:07 left in the game when Maucione got a block and a steal, and then scored twice along the baseline to push the lead back to 47-39. Even then, Oak Knoll wouldn’t fold, making four free throws and a three-pointer to cut the lead to 49-46 with 1:07 left.
“They’re very tough and very aggressive,” Dyer said. “They don’t back down. That first game, we were very inexperienced with all our seniors gone from last year. It was kind of an awakening for us. We’re not the same team as we were at the beginning of the year.”
Another freshman, Mairead McKeary, made another key play second later, driving from the right wing for a lay-up and a five-point lead, but Katie Mota, who led Oak Knoll with 16 points, went in virtually uncontested for a lay-up and the lead was back to three, still with 51 seconds left.
After a turnover, a bid to tie the game rattled in and out with 31 seconds left and Morgan Miller finally put the game away by making 1 of 2 free throws with nine seconds left to set the final margin.
Cranford has now bounced back from its worst performance of the season when it fell 29-21 to Gov. Livingston last Friday. They walloped Elizabeth 53-18 on Saturday before avenging the earlier loss against Oak Knoll (6-5).
Mota got the Royals off to a rapid start by scoring the first six points of the game before Jess McCoy finally got the Cougars on the board with a steal and lay-in midway through the opening period. But a banked-in three at the buzzer had the Royals up 10-7 after one quarter.
Cranford then erupted for one of its best periods of the season, scoring 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting to take a 28-21 lead into the locker room. Maucione scored eight points in the quarter, including a runner at the buzzer.
Jenna Goeller’s driving lay-up, two free throws by McKeary and a Miller three-pointer extended that lead to 35-21 in the first two minutes of the second half, but turnovers began to plague the Cougars and Oak Knoll eventually got the lead down to four with 6:25 left in the game.
Despite hold a lead, the Cougars kept pushing and pushing on offense, leading to quick shots and turnovers. Eventually, they pulled the ball back out and ran some clock.
“Part of being inexperienced is they think they have to score,” Dyer said. “It’s my job to make sure they realize that’s not necessary, we can get to the foul line. We have to keep them under control.”
The two wins following the dismal loss to Gov. Livingston showed something to Dyer about this team.
“That was a learning experience,” she said of the game in which the Cougars made only 8 of 44 shots. “We’re a very good shooting team but you can’t always depend on that. Some days you’re going to cold. It’s what you do after a game like that that makes you a great team. What we did after that shows we’re a great team.”
After a cold start, Cranford warmed up considerably against the Royals, shooting nearly 50 percent over the final three periods to finish 21 of 47 for the game, while limiting Oak Knoll to 16 of 48.
Maucione had three rebounds, four steals, two blocks and an assist to go along with her 15 points. Miller and McCoy each had 11 points with Goeller and McKeary adding seven apiece. McCoy also had 10 rebounds, two steals and four assists, while Miller grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots and had three steals and three assists. Goeller handed out four assists.
Sarah Gugliucci gave Dyer some great minutes in the first half with seven rebounds and two assists.
Revenge Week continues as Cranford hosts New Providence on Thursday night at 7. The Pioneers (9-2) pulled away in the second half to beat the Cougars 52-36 on Dec. 21.
But the Cougars had a weapon in this game that they didn’t rely on much in that first loss to Oak Knoll – freshman Carly Maucione – and that was the difference in a 52-48 Cranford win. The Cougars improved to 10-3.
Not only did Maucione record a season-high 15 points, she made four critical plays down the stretch when Oak Knoll was threatening to repeat its feat from December.
“She’s very young and we’ve been working with her to be more confident and comfortable out there,” said Cougar head coach Jackie Dyer of Maucione. “And she definitely showed that today. She’s working very hard. It’s nice when you can have people who can come off the bench and do just as well as the people coming out of the game.”
The Royals had an opportunity to whittle that 14-point lead all the way down to one or two with 4:07 left in the game when Maucione got a block and a steal, and then scored twice along the baseline to push the lead back to 47-39. Even then, Oak Knoll wouldn’t fold, making four free throws and a three-pointer to cut the lead to 49-46 with 1:07 left.
“They’re very tough and very aggressive,” Dyer said. “They don’t back down. That first game, we were very inexperienced with all our seniors gone from last year. It was kind of an awakening for us. We’re not the same team as we were at the beginning of the year.”
Another freshman, Mairead McKeary, made another key play second later, driving from the right wing for a lay-up and a five-point lead, but Katie Mota, who led Oak Knoll with 16 points, went in virtually uncontested for a lay-up and the lead was back to three, still with 51 seconds left.
After a turnover, a bid to tie the game rattled in and out with 31 seconds left and Morgan Miller finally put the game away by making 1 of 2 free throws with nine seconds left to set the final margin.
Cranford has now bounced back from its worst performance of the season when it fell 29-21 to Gov. Livingston last Friday. They walloped Elizabeth 53-18 on Saturday before avenging the earlier loss against Oak Knoll (6-5).
Mota got the Royals off to a rapid start by scoring the first six points of the game before Jess McCoy finally got the Cougars on the board with a steal and lay-in midway through the opening period. But a banked-in three at the buzzer had the Royals up 10-7 after one quarter.
Cranford then erupted for one of its best periods of the season, scoring 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting to take a 28-21 lead into the locker room. Maucione scored eight points in the quarter, including a runner at the buzzer.
Jenna Goeller’s driving lay-up, two free throws by McKeary and a Miller three-pointer extended that lead to 35-21 in the first two minutes of the second half, but turnovers began to plague the Cougars and Oak Knoll eventually got the lead down to four with 6:25 left in the game.
Despite hold a lead, the Cougars kept pushing and pushing on offense, leading to quick shots and turnovers. Eventually, they pulled the ball back out and ran some clock.
“Part of being inexperienced is they think they have to score,” Dyer said. “It’s my job to make sure they realize that’s not necessary, we can get to the foul line. We have to keep them under control.”
The two wins following the dismal loss to Gov. Livingston showed something to Dyer about this team.
“That was a learning experience,” she said of the game in which the Cougars made only 8 of 44 shots. “We’re a very good shooting team but you can’t always depend on that. Some days you’re going to cold. It’s what you do after a game like that that makes you a great team. What we did after that shows we’re a great team.”
After a cold start, Cranford warmed up considerably against the Royals, shooting nearly 50 percent over the final three periods to finish 21 of 47 for the game, while limiting Oak Knoll to 16 of 48.
Maucione had three rebounds, four steals, two blocks and an assist to go along with her 15 points. Miller and McCoy each had 11 points with Goeller and McKeary adding seven apiece. McCoy also had 10 rebounds, two steals and four assists, while Miller grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots and had three steals and three assists. Goeller handed out four assists.
Sarah Gugliucci gave Dyer some great minutes in the first half with seven rebounds and two assists.
Revenge Week continues as Cranford hosts New Providence on Thursday night at 7. The Pioneers (9-2) pulled away in the second half to beat the Cougars 52-36 on Dec. 21.
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