http://www.sidelinechatter.com/sport1.htm
Cranford head girls basketball coach Jackie Dyer holds bouquet of flowers and a commemorative basketball after notching her 100th career win on Wednesday night as the Cougars defeated Nutley to advance in North 2, Group 3 state tourney. (Photos by Anthony Sorce/MSG Varsity)
Cranford head girls basketball coach Jackie Dyer holds bouquet of flowers and a commemorative basketball after notching her 100th career win on Wednesday night as the Cougars defeated Nutley to advance in North 2, Group 3 state tourney. (Photos by Anthony Sorce/MSG Varsity)
The Cranford girls basketball team enjoys special moment with their now 100-win head coach
With 100 Wins Now Under Her Belt
Dyer Prepares Cranford For West Morris
Dyer Prepares Cranford For West Morris
By JR Parachini
For sidelinechatter.com
The Cranford girls’ basketball team, which has a knack for winning games in late February and early March, is one victory away from reaching a fourth straight sectional final. For sidelinechatter.com
That’s not bad.
In order to do so, the Cougars will head back to Long Valley to face West Morris, which was the team they lost to in last year’s North 2, Group 3 final.
In a battle of the last two North 2, Group 3 champions it will be third-seeded Cranford (24-4) at second-seeded West Morris (23-4) Friday night at 7 in a N2, G3 semifinal.
Friday’s other 7 p.m. semifinal pits 12 th-seeded Warren Hills (16-10), which won first round and quarterfinal round games on the road, at top-seeded Chatham (25-3).
Chatham is the top seed for the second straight season. Last year in the semifinals, Cranford - as the fourth seed - came back to win at Chatham 53-49 in double overtime.
Cranford is seeking to reach the North 2, Group 3 final for the third year in a row - the Cougars won it for the first time (under its present format) in 2010 - and gain a sectional final for a fourth straight season. Cranford won three road games to reach the 2009 Central Jersey, Group 2 final.
West Morris is out to reach a fifth sectional final in eight years. The Wolfpack lost to Shabazz in the 2009 N2, G3 final and in 2010 was defeated at home as the top seed by fifth-seeded Somerville 59-46. Cranford then came back from a first quarter deficit to beat Somerville 46-34 in the 2010 championship game.
West Morris won its first sectional title last year, while two years ago Cranford captured only its second and its first since senior Carol Blazejowski guided the Cougars to one during the first year of the program’s existence in 1973-74.
If Somerville didn’t upset West Morris two years ago, Cranford would have gone to West Morris for the sectional final.
In last year’s game in Long Valley, a 53-42 Wolfpack victory, West Morris was sparked by Shayna Erickson, who scored 31 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. In the final eight minutes, Erickson - now a 5-11 senior - scored 10 of the Wolfpack’s 21 points as they pulled away.
“She’s very good,” said Cranford fifth-year head coach Jackie Dyer, who on Wednesday gained her 100th victory when the Cougars took out Nutley. “She’s a very aggressive post player who is an outside threat as well.”
Cranford spent a lot of energy in upsetting Chatham to get to the final last year.
“We didn’t have much time to recover (just one day in between) after the Chatham game and were a little tired,” Dyer said. “West Morris was a running team last year and we fought for three quarters before they dominated the fourth.”
Cranford senior guard Morgan Miller, a bit under the weather for over a week, connected for six three-point baskets in Wednesday’s 51-36 quarterfinal home win over Nutley.
“Morgan really started to feel better yesterday,” Dyer said. “Physically and mentally, as a whole, we’re ready for Friday night.”
Stepping up for Cranford lately has been junior forward Jessica McCoy. She grabbed 13 rebounds vs. Nutley, nine of them in the first half.
“She’s really come on for us, both scoring and rebounding,” Dyer said. “She’s also played the point at times and done a good job there.”
Dyer’s record at Cranford is now 100-37 (.730). Cranford has improved in victories every year since she’s been at the helm, with the 2007-08 team finishing 15-8, the 2008-09 squad 18-11, the 2009-10 team 21-8, the 2010-11 squad 22-6 and the 2011-12 team at 24-4.
“I was really excited to get the milestone together with Morgan, who scored her 1,000 th point this year,” Dyer said. “I’ve been very lucky with the teams that I’ve been given.”
With everyone but Miller eligible to come back for next year, there’s also a very good chance that the 2013 team could surpass the 2012 squad in victories and keep that streak going.
“The girls play very aggressively and have caught on to my style of coaching,” Dyer said.
Dyer played for Kathy Matthews at Union Catholic, who is one of the winningest coaches in state history and the owner of more than 600 victories.
“My style of play is up-tempo and defense-oriented,” Dyer said. “Playing at Union Catholic I didn’t know anything other than defense. Coach Matthews has been successful with that style and I have been too.”
Cranford is 12-4 in state playoff games under Dyer (12-3 in sectional contests and 0-1 in group semifinals), including one sectional championship, three appearances in sectional finals and four appearances in sectional semifinals.
Cranford is 5-1 in sectional road games under Dyer, with the only setback being last year’s loss in the final at West Morris.
West Morris defeated Plainfield in the first round and South Plainfield in the quarterfnals, both at home. Erickson paced the Wolfpack in scoring with 14 points and rebounding with 15 in the 53-38 triumph over South Plainfield. Teammates Courtney Chase, a junior, and Brielle Kelly, a 5-10 sophomore, each scored 12.
West Morris had to outscore Plainfield in the fourth quarter to win Monday night.
This will be the sixth time West Morris is facing a team from Union County this season, with the Wolfpack beating four of the first five they went up against.
Here’s a look at the scores from those five games:
Dec. 22: Gov. Livingston 52, West Morris 44 – at GL
Dec. 28: West Morris 72, Linden 66 – at Ridge
Len Sepanek Tournament
Jan. 10: West Morris 58, Elizabeth 27 – at Elizabeth
Feb. 23: West Morris 56, Union 45 – at West Morris
Feb. 27: West Morris 72, Plainfield 59 – at West Morris
North 2, Group 3 first round
CRANFORD IN THE STATES UNDER
5TH-YEAR HEAD COACH JACKIE DYER:
2011-2012 SEASON
NORTH 2, GROUP 3
Cranford earned the 3 rd seed.
First round at Cranford
02-27-12 : 3-Cranford 44, 14-Millburn 22
Quarterfinal at Cranford
02-29-12 : 3-Cranford 51, 6-Nutley 36
Semifinal at West Morris
03-02-12 : 3-Cranford vs. 2-West Morris, 7 p.m.
Cranford is 24-4, including 2-0 in the states.
2010-2011 SEASON
NORTH 2, GROUP 3
Cranford earned the 4 th seed.
First round at Cranford
03-01-11 : 4-Cranford 43, 13-Mendham 31
Quarterfinal at Cranford
03-03-11 : 4-Cranford 64, 5-Millburn 34
Semifinal at Chatham
03-05-11 : 4-Cranford 53, 1-Chatham 49 (2OT)
Final at West Morris
03-07-11 : 3-West Morris 53, 4-Cranford 42
Cranford finishes 22-6, including 3-1 in the states.
2009-2010 SEASON
NORTH 2, GROUP 3
Cranford earned the 3 rd seed.
First round at Cranford
03-01-10 : 3-Cranford 59, 14-Carteret 46
Quarterfinal at Cranford
03-03-10 : 3-Cranford 55, 6-Mendham 50
Semifinal at Voorhees
03-05-10 : 3-Cranford 44, Voorhees 40
Final at Cranford
(this was the first year that sectional finals were played at the higher seed)
03-09-10 : 3-Cranford 46, 5-Somerville 34
After losing to Pascack Valley 40-28 in a Group 3 semifinal at Ramapo,
Cranford finished 21-8, including 4-1 in the states.
2008-2009 SEASON
CENTRAL JERSEY , GROUP 2
Cranford earned the 11 th seed.
First round at Governor Livingston
03-03-09 : 11-Cranford 44, 6-Gov. Livingston 41
Quarterfinal at Delaware Valley
03-04-09 : 11-Cranford 57, 3-Delaware Valley 44
Semifinal at Raritan
03-06-09 : 11-Cranford 55, 10-Raritan 49
Final at Bridgewater-Raritan
(this was the last year that the sectional finals were at neutral sites)
03-10-09 : 5-Rumson-Fair Haven 50, 11-Cranford 29
Cranford finishes 18-11, including 3-1 in the states.
2007-2008 SEASON
NORTH 2, GROUP 3
Cranford earned the 4th seed.
Quarterfinal at Cranford
02-28-08 : 5-Voorhees 45, 4-Cranford 31
Cranford finishes 15-8, including 0-1 in the states.
2012 NORTH 2, GROUP 3 PLAYOFFS
SEEDS: 1-Chatham. 2-West Morris. 3-Cranford. 4-Somerville.
5-Iselin Kennedy. 6-Nutley. 7-South Plainfield. 8-Irvington.
9-Mendham. 10-Rahway. 11-Scotch Plains. 12-Warren Hills.
13-Barringer. 14-Millburn. 15-Plainfield. 16-Newark East Side.
FIRST ROUND:
Monday, Feb. 27
Chatham 86, Newark East Side 24 – at Chatham
Mendham 52, Irvington 49 – at Irvington
Warren Hills 53, Iselin Kennedy 52 – at Iselin Kennedy
Somerville 67, Barringer 17 – at Somerville
Cranford 44, Millburn 22 – at Cranford
Nutley 56, Scotch Plains 55 (OT) – at Nutley
South Plainfield 71, Rahway 37 – at South Plainfield
West Morris 72, Plainfield 59 – at West Morris
QUARTERFINALS:
Wednesday, Feb. 29
Chatham 61, Mendham 36 – at Chatham
Warren Hills 57, Somerville 47 – at Somerville
Cranford 51, Nutley 36 – at Cranford
West Morris 53, South Plainfield 38 – at West Morris
SEMIFINALS:
Friday, March 2
12-Warren Hills at 1-Chatham, 7 p.m.
3-Cranford at 2-West Morris, 7 p.m.
FINAL:
Tuesday, March 6
Semifinal winners at higher seed, 5 p.m.
Coach Dyer holds the commemorative basketball after registering her 100th career victory
Cranford girls basketball players enjoy getting ready for a special post-game 100-win celebration for their head coach who has done a splendid job in guiding the Cougars in the state tournament.
copyright 2005 Sideline Chatter - comments - contact the webmaster
No comments:
Post a Comment