Roselle Cath. & New Providence Won Titles Once Again In '10-'11

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Roselle Catholic's Melissa Tobie was the top player for Union County's No. 1 girls basketball team in 2010-2011. (Photo by Sean Buldiger)

Roselle Catholic veteran head coach Joe Skrec did a yeoman's job once again in guiding a Union County Tournament championship team. (Photo by Todd Mundt)

Cap Pazdera again guided New Providence to a Group 1 state championship as the Pioneers completed yet another superb hoops season. (Photo by JR Parachini)

Roselle Cath. & New Providence
Won Titles Once Again In '10-'11  

By JR Parachini
For sidelinechatter.com  

Different year.
Same results.
For the third straight year the Roselle Catholic Lions captured the Union County Tournament championship.
For the second straight season the New Providence Pioneers were crowned Group 1 state champions.
Different UCT.
Different teams.
While Roselle Catholic made it back to the UCT semifinals as the top seed for the second straight season, the two-time defending champion Lions were joined by newcomers New Providence, Gov. Livingston and Dayton in the Final Four.
Winning more than 20 games were Roselle Catholic, New Providence, Cranford and Dayton.
Cranford reached a sectional championship contest for the third straight year. The Cougars are 10-3 in the states the past three seasons.
 
Repeat Champions: Roselle Catholic received 20 points from senior Melissa Tobie en route to a 33-26 win over Gov. Livingston in the UCT final at Kean University in Union. RC led 5-0 after the first period, survived a brief GL lead early in the third quarter and remained in front from there on in. New Providence came back to down Haddon Township 50-40 in the Group 1 state championship game at Poland Springs Arena on the campus of Toms River North in Toms River. Senior Laura Gregory had nine points, 14 rebounds and three assists to help the Pioneers overcome an 18-10 halftime deficit. New Providence defeated University again at home in the North 2, Group 1 playoffs, winning 48-46 in overtime in the final.
 
Streak Busters: New Providence put an end to three prominent winning streaks. In its only victory in four tries against Gov. Livingston the Pioneers defeated the Highlanders 45-42 at home on Jan. 31 to snap a 12-game GL winning streak. New Providence then defeated Dayton 59-44 at home on Feb. 10 to halt a 12-game Bulldog winning streak. On the very next night, the Pioneers traveled to Roselle Catholic and stunned the Lions 40-30, ending RC’s 15-game winning streak.
New Territory: For second-seeded New Providence, third-seeded Gov. Livingston and 12 th-seeded Dayton, qualifying for the Union County Tournament semifinals was a relatively new experience. New Providence won its first UCT game in four years to reach the Final Four, while Dayton went 3-0 against Mountain Division foes - Union Catholic, Oak Knoll, Cranford - to reach the semifinals for possibly the first time. GL captured one victory to reach the Final Four for the first time under head coach Andy Silvagni’s tenure.
 
JR’s ELITE 11 FOR 2011:
Melissa Tobie, Roselle Catholic, senior: Tobie reached 1,000 points in a 51-40 home state tournament win over Paramus Catholic.
Bianca Partlow, Roselle, senior: Partlow poured in 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out six assists in a 51-48 home win over Roselle Catholic.
Alyssa Polimeni, Gov. Livingston, junior: Polimeni poured in a game-high 20 points to lift GL past New Providence 47-37 in a UCT semifinal at Rahway.
Jessica McCoy, Cranford, sophomore: McCoy scored eight of her game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter of a 42-31 conference win at Johnson.
Laura Gregory, New Providence, senior: Gregory netted a game-high 15 points in a 52-43 conference road win at Oak Knoll.
Kerri Moran, Oak Knoll, sophomore: Moran produced a career-high 28 points in a 54-40 conference road win over Gov. Livingston.
Jamiyah Bethune, Union, junior: Bethune made one of two free throws with no time left and finished with 13 points and eight boards in a 46-45 win at Linden.
Anna Lies, Dayton, junior: Lies produced 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists in a 58-32 conference home win over Kent Place.
Kristy Pflug, Johnson, senior: Pflug led the Crusaders with 18 points and made the All-Tournament Team after Johnson defeated Voorhees 48-43 in the Roselle Catholic Holiday Tournament consolation game.
Kate Martino, Summit, junior: Martino scored a game-high 22 points in a 68-43 UCT prelim win over Hillside at Rahway.
Shannon Wheeler, Linden, junior: Wheeler poured five of her game-high 22 points in overtime in a 53-50 home win over 8-0 Somerville.
 
BEST OF THE REST:
Chioma Moneme, Union, senior
Wendy Berry, Union, freshman
Jatirah Diggs, Elizabeth, junior
Drew Winter, Plainfield, freshman
Tamara Todd. Linden, senior
Jada Lewis, Linden, sophomore
Nicole Johnson, Summit, junior
Kelly Osmulski, Summit, junior
Jo-Jo Patterson, Rahway, senior
Asyra Murchison, Rahway, junior
Emily Nicole, Rahway, freshman
Danielle Miller, Westfield, senior
Charlotte Lorentzen, Westfield, senior
Evie Klotz, Scotch Plains, senior
Aysia Peterson, Scotch Plains, senior
Taylor Sebolao, Scotch Plains, sophomore
Brittany Baker, Roselle Catholic, senior
Betina Petit, Roselle Catholic, senior
Marcia Senatus, Roselle Catholic, sophomore
Njera Hunter, Roselle, senior
Nyasia Davis, Roselle, junior
Morgan Miller, Cranford, junior
Jenna Goeller, Cranford, sophomore
Sam Dowling, Gov. Livingston, junior
Mallory George, Gov. Livingston, sophomore
Kate Matthews, Johnson, senior
Cyndi Wilson, Johnson, junior
Lauren Corigliano, Roselle Park, senior
Jasmine Serano, Union Catholic, junior
Shana LaRocca, Union Catholic, freshman
Shanique Owens, Hillside, senior
Kaitlyn Cresencia, New Providence, senior
Emma Culleton, New Providence, junior
Cassandra Squeri, New Providence, sophomore
Jen Kuczynski, Dayton, junior
Emily MacDonnell, Dayton, junior
Paige Tannenhaus, Mother Seton, senior
Catie Mota, Oak Knoll, senior
Haneah Jackson, Benedictine, senior
Samantha Hoag, Brearley, senior
Erin McDonnell, Kent Place, senior
Maya Lobban, Kent Place, junior
Shaniece Bannister, St. Mary’s, Elizabeth, senior
Dynesha Frazier, St. Patrick, junior
TEAMS OF THE YEAR:
Roselle Catholic, Gov. Livingston, New Providence
Roselle Catholic was the Union County Tournament champion, becoming the first team in 17 years to win three straight. Roselle Catholic shot 313-for-462 (68 percent) from the free throw line this season and the Lions surrendered only 77 points in their three UCT games.
 
New Providence repeated as Group 1 state champions, becoming the first Union County school to repeat as state champs since Linden won Group 4 for the third year in a row in 1994.
Roselle Catholic and New Providence both won 24 games, with Roselle Catholic setting a school record for wins in a season and finishing 24-5, while New Providence went 24-6 after competing in a second straight Tournament of Champions field.
Two days after the UCT was seeded, New Providence went to Roselle Catholic and stunned the Lions 50-40 in a Union County Conference-crossover contest, ending Roselle Catholic’s 15-game winning streak. The Pioneers became the first of only two - Roselle was the other - Union County teams to defeat the Lions this season.
Governor Livingston, which reached the UCT championship game, defeated New Providence three times in four tries, including the first time in the Millburn Tournament championship game and the third time in the UCT semifinals.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Melissa Tobie, Roselle Catholic, senior
A three-year varsity starter who played in four Union County Tournament championship games including the junior varsity one her freshman season, Tobie scored 552 points this year (team-leading 19.03 average) to finish with 1,016 for her brilliant varsity career. She also averaged 8.1 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game this season, also leading the Lions in all of those categories. Tobie scored 52 of Roselle Catholic’s 114 points in three UCT wins. She shot 79 percent from the free throw line, 128-for-162, and in six UCT and state tournament games she made 28-of-32 free throws for an impressive 88 percent production from the line.
 
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Joe Skrec, Roselle Catholic
The Lions lost four starters to graduation, but didn’t miss a beat, sparked by standout senior guard-forward Melissa Tobie and her 19-point, eight-rebound averages. Head coach Joe Skrec is always quick to credit his staff, which continues with assistant coach Charlie Wischusen and includes JV mentor Dennis Quigley. Not only was Roselle Catholic able to 3-peat as Union County Tournament champions – becoming the first program to do so since Elizabeth from 1995-97 – but the Lions produced a school-record 24 victories in a 24-5 season that also included two state tournament triumphs. Stepping up their play this season were elevated starters Marcia Senatus, Betina Petit and Nivanni Grant, while the Lions got a big boost from Mother Seton transfer Brittany Baker, a senior who proved to be one of the area’s top rebounders.
Honorable Mention:
Andy Silvagni, Gov. Livingston
Cap Pazdera, New Providence
Both of these coaches - who are close friends, used to coach together and are New Providence graduates - raise their team’s level of performance with their preparation and in-game adjustments. Both have their squads play solid defense and each puts his team in a position to win. Silvagni led GL to the county championship game for the first time in awhile, while Pazdera guided New Providence to a second straight Group 1 state championship.
Jackie Dyer, Cranford
Learning her craft from one of the best coaches in Union County history - Union Catholic’s Kathy Matthews - Dyer stresses defense, defense and more defense and all her teams do is win. She led the Cougars to a third straight sectional championship game and is expecting her first child in less than a month.
 
UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE
STANDINGS FOR 2010-2011:
 
WATCHUNG DIVISION
1-Roselle Catholic 13-1, champion
2-Roselle 9-5
Scotch Plains 9-5
4-Summit 8-6
Linden 8-6
6-Union 6-8
7-Westfield 2-12
8-Plainfield 1-13
2009-2010 CHAMPION: Summit
 
MOUNTAIN DIVISION
1-New Providence 11-2, champion
Did not host Johnson.
2-Gov. Livingston 10-4
Cranford 10-4
4-Oak Knoll 9-4
Did not host Hillside.
5-Johnson 7-6
Did not play at New Providence.
6-Union Catholic 5-9
7-Hillside 1-11
Did not play at Elizabeth and at Oak Knoll.
8-Elizabeth 0-13
Did not host Hillside.
2009-2010 CHAMPION: Roselle Catholic
 
VALLEY DIVISION
1-Dayton 13-1, co-champs
Kent Place 13-1, co-champs
3-Rahway 9-4
Did not play at St. Mary’s, Elizabeth.
4-Brearley 6-8
5-St. Patrick 5-9
6-Benedictine 4-10
7-Roselle Park 3-11
8-St. Mary’s, Elizabeth 2-11
Did not host Rahway.
2009-2010 CHAMPION: New Providence
 
JR’S FINAL
UNION COUNTY TOP 10
FOR 2010-2011:
1-Roselle Catholic 24-5
2-Gov. Livingston 19-6
3-New Providence 24-6
4-Cranford 22-6
5-Dayton 21-6
6-Roselle 18-10
7-Oak Knoll 18-7
8-Scotch Plains 15-9
9-Johnson 15-9
10-Summit 14-11
Others: Kent Place 15-7, Linden 13-12, Rahway 12-9, Union 11-14,
Union Catholic 9-13, Benedictine 9-15, Mother Seton 7-12,
St. Mary’s, Elizabeth 7-13, Roselle Park 7-14, Brearley 6-16, St. Patrick 6-16,
Elizabeth 3-17, Westfield 3-18, Hillside 2-17, Plainfield 1-20.
 
CHAMPIONS
UCT: Roselle Catholic
UCC’s Watchung Division: Roselle Catholic
UCC’s Mountain Division: New Providence
UCC’s Valley Division: Dayton, Kent Place
North 2, Group 1: New Providence
Group 1: New Providence
*
TOC quarterfinalist: New Providence
Sectional finalist: Cranford
Sectional semifinalists: Roselle Catholic, Gov. Livingston, Oak Knoll
 
 

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http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-6615120150471335044/cranford-42-at-west-morris-53-njsiaa-tournament-final-round-north-jersey-section-2-group-3/

Cranford (42) at West Morris (53), NJSIAA Tournament, Final Round, North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

The Star Ledger, March 07, 2011 10:20 p.m.

By Sean Reilly
The first quarter of last night's NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 final didn't go well for Shayna Ericksen and her West Morris teammates.
West Morris couldn't solve Cranford's zone defense, which caused it go scoreless for more than five minutes and fall behind by seven points. It was no way to begin such an important game being played inside its own gym.
``The zone troubled us a bit,'' Ericksen, a 5-11 junior forward, said. ``But we all said that there was no way we were going to lose this game.''
Ericksen, who had two points and two fouls with seven minutes left in the opening half, wound up with final totals of 31 points, 21 rebounds and four blocks when West Morris took control over the final two quarters for a 53-42 victory in Long Valley.
She scored eight in the second quarter to get her team to within 23-21 at halftime. She then scored all 11 points for West Morris in the third period, on two baskets inside and a 7-for-8 showing from the free throw line, as coach Fran Gavin's team went ahead, 32-29. She then put the finishing touches on her superior effort by hitting five baskets for 10 points, collecting eight rebounds and rejecting two shots over the final eight minutes.
``She was just too tough to handle inside,'' Cranford coach Jackie Dyer said. ``She's a very good player.''
Cranford, which held a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, maintained a two-point lead at the half behind nine points from Morgan Miller, who finished with a team-high 13 points.
But once West Morris adjusted to Cranford's 2-3 zone, its guards were able to connect with Ericksen in the paint. After Brielle Kelly scored off a steal by Carly Shello to give West Morris a 23-23 tie 50 seconds into the second quarter, it didn't get a basket from a player other than Ericksen until Caroline Consol connected with five minutes left in the game for a 42-32 lead.
``Once we got used to the zone, we started to settle down,'' Ericksen said. ``It was important for us to stay patient.''
Ericksen went into the game with season averages of 24.2 points and 12 rebounds. She averaged 25.8 points and 16 rebounds in the four-game run to the sectional crown.
``She's a born leader and basketball player,'' Shello said. ``You couldn't ask for anything more than the way she stepped up for us in this game.''

http://cranford.patch.com/articles/cougars-basketball-loses-in-sectional-final-game-53-42#c

Cougars Basketball Loses in Sectional Final Game, 53-42

Cranford gets stymied by West Morris Central's defense in sectional title game.

By Jason Koestenblatt | Email the author | 6:22am

 

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After a thrilling overtime victory on Saturday night against top-seeded Chatham High School to advance to the North 2, Group 3 title game, the Cranford Cougars couldn’t keep their postseason momentum going against the West Morris Central Lady Highlanders, losing 53-42.
Led by Morgan Miller with 13 points, the Cougars started the game off strong, finishing the first quarter with a 13-7 lead. But as West Morris began to settle into a rhythm, Cranford would relinquish its lead early in the third quarter, and not be able to regain it.
Senior Mairead McKeary was kept in check on the night, scoring just 10 points after West Morris put senior Carly Shello up against the guard. Shello, disrupted McKeary’s passing lanes and shot attempts for the final three quarters, rendering her a non-factor for most of the game.
After taking a one-point lead into halftime, the Cougars would get into early foul trouble in the third quarter, sending Central’s Shayna Ericksen (31 points) to the line for eight free throw attempts, seven of which were made. Ericksen scored all of central’s 11 points in the third quarter, and shifted the momentum back to the home team.
After West Morris took the lead early in the third, Cranford would continue to play catch-up and keep the game close, heading into the final period down by three points.
But a quick jump shot by Ericksen early in the fourth put the Lady Highlanders up by five, and the Cougars couldn’t recover. Cranford went down by as much as 12 in the final quarter, and couldn’t hit their desperation threes as the game clock wound down.
Cranford ends the season with a record of 22-6 after Monday night’s loss.

http://www.cranfordnavigator.com/profiles/blogs/cranford-girls-basketball-8

Cranford girls' basketball reaches 3rd straight sectional final after wild 53-49 2OT win at top-seeded Chatham Saturday night; Cougars will play at West Morris in Monday night's final

• Posted by High School Sports on March 6, 2011 at 2:00pm
• View High School Sports's highlights

By JR Parachini
Union County Sports Editor
The Cranford girls’ basketball team – which knows how to step up its play come state tournament time – reached a sectional final for the third straight season.
However, this time the Cougars will be playing the championship game on Monday night instead of Tuesday night, which was the case the last two years.
That’s one less day to prepare after the Cougars went to Chatham Saturday night and came back to oust the top-seeded Cougars of Morris County 53-49 in double overtime in a North 2, Group 3 semifinal.
Cranford, the fourth seed, will play at third-seeded West Morris Monday night at 7 in Long Valley in the N2, G3 championship game.
Cranford won North 2, Group 3 last year for its second sectional title and first since the first year of the program in 1973-1974. The Cougars won four games to win N2, G3 last year and were then defeated in the Group 3 semifinals.
Two years ago, Cranford won three road games in five days to reach the Central Jersey, Group 2 final where it fell to nine-time defending champion Rumson-Fair Haven at Bridgewater-Raritan.
The NJSIAA last year moved the sectional finals from neutral sites to the highest-seeded team alive.
Last year fifth-seeded Somerville came back in the fourth quarter to win at top-seeded West Morris in the semifinals, which is why third-seeded Cranford was able to host Somerville in the championship game.
This year Cranford knocked out the top seed on the road in the semifinals, allowing for West Morris to host the title game.
“That is kind of interesting,” said Cranford fourth-year head coach Jackie Dyer.
After playing Monday, Wednesday and Friday the past two years, Cranford had Saturday, Sunday and Monday off before playing their finals on Tuesday.
This time the Cougars, after playing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, had just one day to prepare for a Monday night final, with that day being Sunday.
“Yeah, they opened up the gym so that we could practice today (Sunday),” Dyer said.
Chatham, which finished 26-3 and had only lost previously to Morris Catholic twice in three tries including a very close Morris County Tournament final, looked unbeatable Thursday night at home in dominating ninth-seeded Scotch Plains 61-36. Chatham took a 13-0 lead and never looked back.
There were only 13 points scored total in the first quarter of Saturday night’s Cranford-Chatham semifinal, with the home team Cougars leading the visiting Cougars 7-6 at the end of the first eight minutes.
Cranford, which is now 22-5 and has won four straight, then outscored Chatham 9-6 in the second quarter to take a 15-13 halftime lead.
Chatham won the third quarter 16-10 for a 29-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The home team Cougars then increased their lead to eight in the final period, sparked by fine performances from junior Amanda Berntsen, who led Chatham with 17 points, and senior Kelsey Hart, who finished with 16.
However, Cranford found a way to come back in the fourth quarter and force overtime at 39-39 after winning the period 14-10. The Cougars were sparked by sophomore Jessica McCoy with 14 points, sophomore Jenna Goeller with 13 and junior Morgan Miller with 12.
“We needed to up our defense a little bit after we went into a defensive slump,” Dyer said. “We made a few adjustments to our defense and set screens and were very patient on offense.”
Chatham’s Kelsey Davies made two free throws to even the game at 43-43 and send it to another extra four-minute session. Both teams scored four points in the first overtime
Cranford starter and freshman forward Mairead McKeary connected on a 3-pointer with 24 seconds to go in the second overtime to give the visiting Cougars the lead for good at 51-49.
“In the second overtime we were down by one (49-48) and the players on the (Chatham) high school boys’ team were counting down – five, four, three, two, one to try to distract Mairead and get her to shoot the ball quicker,” Dyer said. “When she made the shot she was thinking the game was over and I had to tell her to get back on defense because there was still 24 seconds to go.”
Dyer then said that Berntsen missed a layup, with Cranford freshman Carly Maucione there to grab a big rebound.
“Carly got the rebound and passed to Jenna (Goeller), who was fouled,” Dyer said. “Jenna made both free throws to put us up by four and then they brought the ball down the floor and tried a 3-pointer that didn’t go in.”
Cranford won the second overtime period 10-6.
Just two weeks ago Cranford, which was the fourth seed, lost to 12^th-seeded Dayton 43-42 in the Union County Tournament quarterfinals at Rahway. In retrospect it wasn’t such a bad loss considering Dayton had a fine season and finished 21-6, including a 3-0 UCT mark against Union County Conference-Mountain Division teams. Dayton and Kent Place shared the UCC’s Valley Division championship.
However, Cranford - which finished 10-4 in the Mountain Division and tied for second with Gov. Livingston behind champion New Providence – was favored to beat Dayton that day and then see how it could fare against eventual 3-peat champion Roselle Catholic in the semifinals.
“For some reason we don’t play well in the county tournament,” Dyer said.
Cranford lost decisively at Roselle Catholic in last year’s UCT semifinals after beating RC on its home court - a layup at the buzzer by Jamie Webb - during the regular season for the third year in a row. RC came back to edge Cranford by one point in the 2009 UCT quarterfinals at Rahway.
A third straight year where Cranford and RC were to face each other in the UCT was not in the cards this season.
“Against Dayton we were totally out of it and had no clue what we were doing offensively and defensively,” Dyer said. “We take every game that we lose and try to build on it. We try to strengthen ourselves and improve for our next game.”
West Morris and Somerville met again in the semifinals Saturday night, this time at Somerville, with the home team being the second seed.
Once again, West Morris allowed Somerville to come back in the fourth quarter, with the home team winning the period 9-7 to force overtime.
However, this time West Morris was not going to be denied as the visitors won overtime 12-3 – scoring all of their points from the free throw line – en route to a 55-46 triumph.
According to nj.com, West Morris was sparked by 5-11 junior forward Shayna Erickson, who produced 23 points, 21 rebounds, four blocks and four steals.
“They have decent outside shooters and some post players that can go to the basket,” Dyer said. “If we continue to play defense the way we’ve been in the tournament so far we’ll be fine.”
Cranford previously ousted 13^th-seeded Mendham 43-31 at home Tuesday in a first round game and then knocked out fifth-seeded Millburn 64-34 at home Thursday in the quarterfinals.
NOTES: Cranford is now 10-2 in state tournament games the past three seasons, including 3-1 two years ago, 4-1 last year and 3-0 so far this year.
Dyer, who is expecting her first child on April 19, said that a friend of hers told her about the story of the high school basketball coach in Texas that gave birth during the season and came back to coach right away.
From the Abilene (Texas) Reporter-News, Amber Branson, the coach of the girls’ basketball team in Lipan, Texas, gave birth to a daughter after a game on Feb. 25 at 10:18 p.m. and then coached her team to a state tournament berth at 2 p.m. the next day.
That’s 15 hours and 42 minutes after giving birth to an 8-pound, 7-ounce and 19-inch-long human being without the aid of any painkillers.
Coaches are organized and know schedules. It’s what they do. Branson was no exception, saying she pondered this scenario for months.
“My friend said that would also be me, coaching right away after giving birth,” Dyer said. “I would as soon as I could.”

Missed Opportunities Cost Chatham Girls Basketball Team to Drop North 2, Group 3 Sectional Semi-Final in Double Overtime; Team is Shocked in 53-49 Loss to Cranford

http://thealternativepress.com/articles/missed-opportunities-cost-chatham-girls-basketball-team-to-drop-north-2-group-3-sectional-semi-final-in-double-overtime-team-is-shocked-in-53-49-loss-to-cranford--2

Missed Opportunities Cost Chatham Girls Basketball Team to Drop North 2, Group 3 Sectional Semi-Final in Double Overtime; Team is Shocked in 53-49 Loss to Cranford

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Sunday, March 06 2011

CHATHAM, NJ – The Chatham Lady Cougars had several chances to close out a tight game against Cranford in the North 2, Group 3 sectional semi-finals.  However, they were unable to do so and suffered a crushing 53-49 defeat to Cranford in double overtime before a crowd of over 200 on Saturday night at Chatham High School.
Chatham was down 48-47 in double overtime when they took a time out with just over a minute remaining.
The play discussed by Head Coach Joe Gaba worked perfectly.  Senior Kelsey Hart was wide open underneath the basket, as she received a ball that she was easily able to lay in with about 42 seconds left in the period.  She finished the game with 16 points.
After that play, one of the most unexpected things happened that one can expect to see in a high school basketball game.
Mairead McKeary of Cranford received a pass near half court as fans started to chant "3, 2,1."  In actuality, there was over ten seconds left in the game.  McKeary, however, seemed to buy into the cheers and fired up a shot from well beyond the three point line that dropped into the basket without even touching the rim.
“That last possession was crazy.  (McKeary) hit a great shot,” a dejected Coach Gaba said after the game.  “I don’t think that was the shot they intended on.  It’s not like that shot was poorly defended.  She was about six feet from the three point line.”
Chatham had one last chance to at least tie the game.  With about nine seconds left junior guard Amanda Berntsen, who led Chatham with 17 points, drove to the basket in traffic.  Her layup try missed its mark and Cranford’s Jenna Goeller grabbed the rebound.
Goeller was then fouled after she got the ball with 7.7 seconds left.  She nailed both of her free throws to essentially ice the game.
Berntsen fired up a three pointer for Chatham with less than five seconds left, but missed.  Time then expired in the game and on Chatham’s season.
“We battled all game.  We couldn’t get a stop when we needed it,” Coach Gaba told The Alternative Press.  “I’m proud of my kids.  We had a great year,” he added.
With less than 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Chatham had their first chance to win a game that was back and forth the whole way through.  Berntsen drove to the basket and was fouled when she hit a layup with 14.5 seconds left.  The referees then deliberated for a bit and decided that she was not in the act of shooting when she was fouled.  Therefore, Berntsen’s made layup did not count.
That decision proved to be crucial.  A normally clutch Berntsen missed both of her free throw chances before Cranford grabbed the rebound with about four seconds left in the fourth.  Morgan Miller of Cranford launched a long three point try, but the ball fell short of the basket as time expired in regulation.
The first overtime saw Chatham get off to a slow start, but then they came roaring back to tie the contest.
Carly Maucione of Cranford made a jump shot and Jessica McCoy sank a free throw to give their team a three point lead with just over two minutes left in the period.  Afterward, Berntsen made a layup to bring the contest to within one with 1:50 on the clock.
Goeller hit one more free throw for Cranford and then Kelsey Davies swished two free throws for Chatham with under 20 seconds remaining.  Cranford had an opportunity to come away with the victory, but failed to convert a basket.  The score was 43-43 heading into the second overtime.
“They did a good job of slowing us up a little bit.  We didn’t get as many clean possessions as we wanted,” Coach Gaba said of the first overtime period.
The play during regulation time was close and intense; fitting for a section semi-final game.  Chatham got baskets from Berntsen, Davies and Lauren Winschuh in the first quarter and took a 7-6 lead after the first eight minutes of play.
Cranford came roaring back in the second quarter when Morgan Miller hit a three pointer at the 7:30 mark to give her team the first lead of the game.  Kaitlin McGovern then nailed a long jump shot to give Cranford a four point edge.
Chatham then went on a small run of their own when Samantha Kennedy hit both of her free throws and Hart made a layup.  The score was 13-12 in Chatham’s favor at the 2:20 mark of the second.
Miller made a 3-point field goal for Cranford with under a minute left until halftime.  Chatham was down 15-13 after the first half of play.
“We struggled mightily outside against their (Cranford) zone,” Coach Gaba said of the first half.
The third quarter went in Chatham’s favor.  Berntsen led the way with six points, Hart had four and Winschuh and Kennedy added three points each.
The team also went on a 6-0 run near the end of the third and scored two quick baskets in the beginning of the fourth quarter.  Chatham enjoyed its biggest lead when they were up 33-25 after three minutes or so of play in the fourth.
When asked if momentum was on Chatham’s side when they were up by eight points late in the game, Coach Gaba responded, “To get to where we were in the second half, I was pleased with how we fought all game.  We definitely had some momentum there.”
Toward the middle of the fourth quarter, Cranford began to eat away at Chatham’s lead.  McCoy hit a three and Miller laid the ball in to bring their team to within three with 4:15 left on the clock.  Maucione then put in a three ball for Cranford before Sara Gugliucc knotted the game up at 39 a piece with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Even with the loss, Chatham should be proud of their effort.  They played strong defense, forcing 18 Cranford turnovers.  They also dominated on the offensive glass for most of Saturday night’s game.
“I thought we did a good job.  We timed our run and jumps well.  We always play pretty good defense,” Coach Gaba said of Chatham’s defensive play.
Chatham ends its season with an impressive 26-3 record.  Two of those losses came against Morris Catholic, who they also defeated once. 

http://chatham.patch.com/articles/cranford-stuns-top-seeded-chatham-in-double-ot

Cranford Stuns Top-Seeded Chatham in Double OT

Cougars unable to hold onto lead, season ends with loss in sectional semifinals.

By Edward Kensik | Email the author | March 6, 2011

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As Joe Gaba sat on the bench following Saturday night's game, the Chatham High girls basketball coach was pretty much speechless—and for good reason.
The top-seeded Cougars had just been stunned, 53-49, in double-overtime to fourth-seeded Cranford in the North Jersey Section 2, Group III semifinals.
Chatham junior Amanda Berntsen had a game-high 17 points to lead Chatham, while Kelsey Hart added 16.
"We got a couple real good looks and didn't hit our foul shots," Gaba said.
Despite the loss, the Chatham head coach applauded Berntsen and the rest of his team.
"It's not just Amanda, but all my kids gave all they could," he said. "They all played hard tonight and I'm proud of them."
In the first overtime, Chatham received a significant setback when Samantha Kennedy fouled out with a little more than two minutes remaining.
“She’s [Kennedy] our best defender and not having her on the floor really hurt,” Gaba said.
Chatham's Kelsey Davies hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 43 with 22.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime to send it into the second overtime.
In the second overtime, Chatham again led most of the way and took a 49-48 lead with 35 seconds remaining after Kendall Davies fed Hart who put it in for the Chatham lead with 35 seconds left.
Chatham though was held scoreless the rest of the way as Cranford's Mairead McKeary knocked down a 3-pointer and Jenna Goeller hit a pair of free throws to seal the upset.
It was only the third loss this season for Chatham (26-3), which lost twice to Morris Catholic, including in the Morris County Tournament final.
After being down 15-13 at halftime, Chatham controlled most of the second half as the Cougars were able to move the ball around crisply and get it inside for some easy baskets.
Chatham held the lead several times and a five-point advantage on a couple of occasions. Lauren Winschuh hit a basket with three minutes left in regulation that gave Chatham a 37-32 lead and then Hart hit a pair of free throws to give Chatham a 39-34 lead with a little more than a minute left in regulation.
But Chatham could not seal the win as Cranford stormed back to score the final five points of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Berntsen, one of the premier players in Morris County, missed two free throws with 14.5 seconds left in regulation that would have put the Cougars ahead 41-39.
Berntsen was sent to the line when she was fouled while she hit what appeared to be the go-ahead basket and a chance for a three-point play. However, the referee ruled the basket didn't count and resulted in Berntsen going to the line for two shots with the game tied at 39.
"The key play is not necessarily at the end," Gaba said. "The plays at the beginning of the game are as important at the end."

Cranford Stuns Chatham

 http://cranford.patch.com/articles/cranford-stuns-chatham

Cranford Stuns Chatham

McKeary three-pointer silences opposing team. Girls' basketball team wins 53-49.

By Edward Kensik | Email the author | March 6, 2011

 

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CHATHAM - Cranford freshman Mairead McKeary heard the crowd screaming 3-2-1 in the second overtime battle Saturday night at Chatham High School and fired up a three-point shot.
But as it turned out there were still 23 seconds remaining in the second overtime and it was just a bunch of Chatham fans pulling one of the oldest tricks in the book in basketball.
"I heard 5-4-3-2-1 so I shot it," said McKeary who was befuddled after she hit the basket and admitted that if she knew there were 23 seconds on the clock. "I probably would not have shot it."
After hitting the three-point bucket, McKeary looked around to the Cranford bench wondering why everybody was going the other way – finally realizing that there were 23 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Chatham came running back, but could not put the ball in basket, fouling Cranford's Jenna Goeller. With the clock at 7.7 seconds in the second overtime, Goeller hit both free-throw attempts and sealed the game with a four-point lead, 53-49, in beating the top-seeded Chatham Cougars on Saturday night.
Jessica McCoy led Cranford with 14 points while Goeller and Morgan Miller added 13 and 12 points each. Chatham was led by Amanda Berntsen with a game-high 17 points.
The game was a battle of defending state sectional champs, Cranford from Group 3 North 2 and Chatham Group 2 North 2 who moved up to Group 3 this season.
McKeary and Goeller's heroics would not have been possible if not for the defense of Carly Maucione and a three-point basket and bucket from senior Sara Gugliucci, hitting a jumper in the paint with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
After Gugliucci's basket that tied the game at 39, Chatham's Amanda Berntsen bucked another shot in what appeared to give the Chatham Cougars a 41-39 lead.
But the referees ruled that Berntsen was fouled before she took the shot. Berntsen missed both the free throw shots with 14.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
Cranford took the ball down court, but could not get a decent shot off and the contest was sent to the first overtime.
In the first overtime Goeller hit one of two free throws with 47 seconds left in the first overtime to give Cranford a 43-41 lead.
But Chatham’s Kelsey Davies hit a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left in the second overtime to tie the game at 23. Neither team could get the game-winning basket in the last seconds of the second overtime.
In the final overtime Chatham led most of the way, but again Goeller came through again on the free throw line to give Cranford a 48-47 lead with a minute left in the second overtime.
During the timeouts through all six quarters, Cranford head coach Jackie Dyer kept reminding her team that they were the defending state sectional champions.
"I kept telling them that it’s your title until somebody has taken it away from you," said Dyer.
McKeary said that winning contests at the end of the game is just typical of the Cranford girls' basketball team. "We always seem to come on at the right time," McKeary said.
 The fourth-seeded Cranford Cougars (22-5) move on Tuesday night where they will travel to third-seeded West Morris at 7 p.m. in the hopes of making it back-to-back state titles.