Cranford girls' basketball gets a second chance to knock off undefeated GL; Big Mountain Division clash set for Friday night at 7 in Berkeley Heights
By JR Parachini
Union County Sports Editor
Two weeks ago at home, Cranford had the opportunity to knock Governor Livingston from the ranks of the undefeated.
Cranford jumped out to a 5-0 lead and was still ahead 16-13 at intermission.
Then GL bounced back in the third quarter to outscore Cranford 15-7 to take a 28-23 lead.
However, Cranford came right back to tie the game at 38-38 going into the final minute.
GL senior guard Alyssa Polimeni then drove through the lane and put up a shot that hit off the rim. Right there to grab the rebound and put the ball in was GL senior forward Rebecca Johnson.
Moments later Johnson was fouled following a Cranford miss. She made both free throws to put GL up by four.
That was it. GL came back not only once, but a second time after Cranford evened the score late to escape Martin Gymnasium with a 42-38 triumph.
Cranford will get a second chance to hand GL its first loss. Two of Union County’s best teams will face off in division play for the second and final time Friday night at 7 in Berkeley Heights.
By no means was GL’s first game against Cranford an outstanding effort, as head coach Andy Silvagni and Johnson explained afterwards, but the Highlanders ultimately did enough to win a big division road game and remain undefeated.
Cranford came out strong like it wanted to, but in the end fell short, similar to the way it did in previous close setbacks at Dayton (46-43) and at Linden (44-43).
Both GL and Cranford are undefeated since that Jan. 19 game, with Cranford winners of six in a row, now 15-3 overall and 10-2 and in second place in the Union County Conference’s Mountain Division. Cranford’s three losses have been by a total of eight points.
GL is still undefeated at 17-0 and leads the Mountain at 12-0.
Cranford will come into Friday’s game following a big 54-36 home division win against Dayton Thursday night. Dayton upset Cranford 43-42 at Rahway in last year’s Union County Tournament quarterfinals and then on Jan. 6 edged the Cougars again in Mountain Division play.
“The last time we played Dayton we struggled defensively,” Cranford head coach Jackie Dyer said following Thursday night’s win over the Bulldogs. “This game was the total opposite. We had five steals in the first quarter.”
Cranford led 32-16 at the half and remained in control the final 16 minutes.
“A majority of our points came from driving to the basket,” Dyer said. “We had much more of an inside game.”
Dyer also said that Dayton was not as successful from three-point range. Dayton got out to a double-digit first half lead and then hung on in the second half when it defeated Cranford a month ago.
“We’re both fighting for the same thing and that’s one of the top spots for the county tournament,” Dyer said.
Dayton, which was coming off a big 62-47 home win over Oak Knoll Tuesday after previously losing at Oak Knoll by 15 points, slipped to 13-5 overall and 7-5 in the Mountain.
The 37th annual Frank J. Cicarell Union County Tournament will be seeded Wednesday at the Roselle Catholic library.
GL, with games at home against Cranford Friday night and at Oak Knoll Tuesday afternoon, is in line to earn the top seed. GL reached the final last year and is out to capture its first UCT title.
Cranford won the title for the only time in 2006 and as the top seed.
Dyer said that her Cougars will need to do a better job on the boards if they are to overtake GL Friday night.
“We learned from some of the mistakes we made when we lost to Dayton,” Dyer said. “We held them to four offensive rebounds, so we’re hoping that continues.
“The first time against GL we allowed them 11 offensive rebounds and they almost scored off all of them. We’ve been really working and focusing on not allowing offensive rebounds and boxing out.”
GL may or may not have senior shooting guard Sam Dowling in the lineup as she is recovering from a concussion she suffered in last week’s home win over Johnson.
“We’re excited about playing them again,” Dyer said.
Friday night’s Cranford at GL game and Saturday’s 1 p.m. Watchung Division Roselle Catholic at Linden clash will go a long way in determining the top UCT seeds Wednesday.
If Roselle Catholic (13-4) wins its sixth straight game, the Lions will repeat as Watchung Division champions. Linden, also 13-4 after beating Roselle 41-27 at home Thursday, lost at Roselle Catholic 50-45 back on Dec. 20. The Tigers have won nine of their last 10.
Right now, expect GL, Roselle Catholic, Linden, Cranford and Dayton to grab the top five UCT seeds, with Summit, New Providence and Oak Knoll most likely next at six, seven and eight.
Teams like Union, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Union Catholic and Hillside should next follow after the top eight seeds.
The top four seeds will not receive byes and go directly to the quarterfinals this year, which was the case last season. After the preliminary round games are played, eight first round games at four gyms involving the final 16 teams alive are scheduled for Feb. 13.
Union County Sports Editor
Two weeks ago at home, Cranford had the opportunity to knock Governor Livingston from the ranks of the undefeated.
Cranford jumped out to a 5-0 lead and was still ahead 16-13 at intermission.
Then GL bounced back in the third quarter to outscore Cranford 15-7 to take a 28-23 lead.
However, Cranford came right back to tie the game at 38-38 going into the final minute.
GL senior guard Alyssa Polimeni then drove through the lane and put up a shot that hit off the rim. Right there to grab the rebound and put the ball in was GL senior forward Rebecca Johnson.
Moments later Johnson was fouled following a Cranford miss. She made both free throws to put GL up by four.
That was it. GL came back not only once, but a second time after Cranford evened the score late to escape Martin Gymnasium with a 42-38 triumph.
Cranford will get a second chance to hand GL its first loss. Two of Union County’s best teams will face off in division play for the second and final time Friday night at 7 in Berkeley Heights.
By no means was GL’s first game against Cranford an outstanding effort, as head coach Andy Silvagni and Johnson explained afterwards, but the Highlanders ultimately did enough to win a big division road game and remain undefeated.
Cranford came out strong like it wanted to, but in the end fell short, similar to the way it did in previous close setbacks at Dayton (46-43) and at Linden (44-43).
Both GL and Cranford are undefeated since that Jan. 19 game, with Cranford winners of six in a row, now 15-3 overall and 10-2 and in second place in the Union County Conference’s Mountain Division. Cranford’s three losses have been by a total of eight points.
GL is still undefeated at 17-0 and leads the Mountain at 12-0.
Cranford will come into Friday’s game following a big 54-36 home division win against Dayton Thursday night. Dayton upset Cranford 43-42 at Rahway in last year’s Union County Tournament quarterfinals and then on Jan. 6 edged the Cougars again in Mountain Division play.
“The last time we played Dayton we struggled defensively,” Cranford head coach Jackie Dyer said following Thursday night’s win over the Bulldogs. “This game was the total opposite. We had five steals in the first quarter.”
Cranford led 32-16 at the half and remained in control the final 16 minutes.
“A majority of our points came from driving to the basket,” Dyer said. “We had much more of an inside game.”
Dyer also said that Dayton was not as successful from three-point range. Dayton got out to a double-digit first half lead and then hung on in the second half when it defeated Cranford a month ago.
“We’re both fighting for the same thing and that’s one of the top spots for the county tournament,” Dyer said.
Dayton, which was coming off a big 62-47 home win over Oak Knoll Tuesday after previously losing at Oak Knoll by 15 points, slipped to 13-5 overall and 7-5 in the Mountain.
The 37th annual Frank J. Cicarell Union County Tournament will be seeded Wednesday at the Roselle Catholic library.
GL, with games at home against Cranford Friday night and at Oak Knoll Tuesday afternoon, is in line to earn the top seed. GL reached the final last year and is out to capture its first UCT title.
Cranford won the title for the only time in 2006 and as the top seed.
Dyer said that her Cougars will need to do a better job on the boards if they are to overtake GL Friday night.
“We learned from some of the mistakes we made when we lost to Dayton,” Dyer said. “We held them to four offensive rebounds, so we’re hoping that continues.
“The first time against GL we allowed them 11 offensive rebounds and they almost scored off all of them. We’ve been really working and focusing on not allowing offensive rebounds and boxing out.”
GL may or may not have senior shooting guard Sam Dowling in the lineup as she is recovering from a concussion she suffered in last week’s home win over Johnson.
“We’re excited about playing them again,” Dyer said.
Friday night’s Cranford at GL game and Saturday’s 1 p.m. Watchung Division Roselle Catholic at Linden clash will go a long way in determining the top UCT seeds Wednesday.
If Roselle Catholic (13-4) wins its sixth straight game, the Lions will repeat as Watchung Division champions. Linden, also 13-4 after beating Roselle 41-27 at home Thursday, lost at Roselle Catholic 50-45 back on Dec. 20. The Tigers have won nine of their last 10.
Right now, expect GL, Roselle Catholic, Linden, Cranford and Dayton to grab the top five UCT seeds, with Summit, New Providence and Oak Knoll most likely next at six, seven and eight.
Teams like Union, Scotch Plains, Westfield, Union Catholic and Hillside should next follow after the top eight seeds.
The top four seeds will not receive byes and go directly to the quarterfinals this year, which was the case last season. After the preliminary round games are played, eight first round games at four gyms involving the final 16 teams alive are scheduled for Feb. 13.
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