Roselle Catholic 75, Cranford 50 (High school Girls Basketball scores and results) - NJ.com

Roselle Catholic 75, Cranford 50 (High school Girls Basketball scores and results) - NJ.com

By Gregg Lerner

Allison Skrec is both a contributor and the primary benefactor of an unselfishness that flows through Roselle Catholic’s rhythmic halfcourt offense.

The cohesion of all five components is evident on every pass that is synchronized to each cut toward the basket.

Skrec exemplified that offensive unity, finishing off a number of crisp feeds en route to a game-high 25 points that stamped a milestone evening for the senior guard and enabled top-seeded and defending champion Roselle Catholic, No. 15 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, to post a 75-50 triumph over fourth-seeded Cranford last night in the semifinals of the 35th Frank J. Cicarell Union County Tournament in Roselle.

Skrec ran her career point total to 1,270 and became the all-time leading scorer at Roselle Catholic, boy or girl, surpassing 1999 graduate Schrene Isadora, who finished with 1,267.

``I’m so fortunate to have the teammates that I have,’’ Skrec said. ``There is no way I would be able to break that record without all of them. (Point guard) Jenny Malone finds me time after time, as do the other three players on the floor. It’s special to share it with them. This about all of us, not just me.’’

Roselle Catholic advanced to the UCT final on Friday at 7:30 at Roselle Catholic, where it will meet third-seeded Roselle, which got 26 points from Jakoya Duggans and used a late spurt at the end of the second quarter to pull away to a 73-46 decision over seventh-seeded Westfield in the first semifinal.

It will mark the fourth meeting with Roselle this season for Roselle Catholic, which has won the previous three encounters.

Roselle Catholic opened the contest on fire by hitting 8 of 11 shots from the field, fueled by Skrec, who converted five of her first six shots to pace a 21-15 start.

Complementing Skrec’s scoring touch was the sharp distribution of Malone, who had six assists to go with 17 points, and the all-around play of Melissa Tobie, who collected 18 points, three rebounds, three assists and five steals.

Malone hit two of her four 3-pointers during a 13-2 tear midway through the second quarter and Tobie capped it with a putback to give Roselle Catholic a 35-14 cushion 32 seconds shy of halftime.

Jamie Webb led Cranford with 12 points and Morgan Miller added 10.

In the first contest, Roselle held a precarious 29-24 lead before Felicia Claiborne ripped down a defensive rebound and took it the length of the court for a strong finish. The layup touched off an 11-2 surge over the final 2:33 of the second quarter and provided Roselle with a 40-26 cushion.

``We get a vibe in situations like that and it keeps going,’’ Duggans said of the game-breaking burst, one she punctuated with a powerful baseline drive and 3-pointer off a dish from Claiborne. ``We pulled it together in that spot.’’

Bianca Partlow contributed 18 points and seven rebounds for Roselle, which also received 10 points, eight boards, five assists and four steals from Shan-Tasia Padgett. Diana Venezia topped Westfield with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Cranford 50
Name                          2-pt.   3-pt.   FT   Total
Taylor D'Antico                 1       1      0       5
Jenna  Goeller                  0       0      0       0
Danielle Gross                  3       0      3       9
Sara Gugliuci                   1       1      0       5
Jessica McCoy                   2       0      2       6
Kaitlin McGovern                1       0      0       2
Morgan  Miller                  3       1      2      11
Jamie Webb                      3       1      3      12

       Totals:                        14       4     10  

Roselle Catholic 75
Name                          2-pt.   3-pt.   FT   Total
Anthonia  Ajumobi               1       0      0       2
Chika  Dunga                    1       0      0       2
Meghan  Faughnan                1       1      1       6
Niovanni Grant                  1       0      0       2
Jenny  Malone                   2       4      1      17
Betina  Petit                   0       0      0       0
Marcia  Senatus                 1       0      1       3
Allison  Skrec                 10       0      5      25
Melissa  Tobie                  6       0      6      18

       Totals:                        23       5     14  

Roselle Catholic (21-2)       19   16   16   24   75
Cranford (17-7)               10    6   15   19   50

Rebounds:

Assists:

Blocks:

I've posted a couple of older articles

I came across a couple of articles that I don't think I've already posted in the blog, so I put them up today.  Please don't mind that they are older...unfortunately, they go in the order of when I post them, and not in the order of when they are written!

Good luck to the Cougars tonight!

Cranford 51, Gov. Livingston 34 (High school Girls Basketball scores and results) - NJ.com

Cranford 51, Gov. Livingston 34 (High school Girls Basketball scores and results) - NJ.com

Jamie Webb and Jessica McCoy had 17 and 10 points, respectively, to power Cranford in Cranford. Alyssa Polimeni led Gov. Livingston with 19 points.

Gov. Livingston 34
Name                          2-pt.   3-pt.   FT   Total
Rikki Arale                     1       0      0       2
Sam Dowling                     1       0      0       2
Mallory George                  3       0      0       6
Becca Johnson                   0       0      1       1
Bari Machado                    0       0      0       0
Kristin Masullo                 0       0      0       0
Kim Osieja                      0       0      0       0
Alyssa Polimeni                 3       2      7      19
CAt Quinn                       0       0      4       4

       Totals:                         8       2     12  

Cranford 51
Name                          2-pt.   3-pt.   FT   Total
Taylor D'Antico                 1       1      0       5
Jenna  Goeller                  0       0      1       1
Danielle Gross                  2       0      1       5
Sara Gugliuci                   2       0      0       4
Jessica McCoy                   5       0      0      10
Kaitlin McGovern                0       0      1       1
Morgan  Miller                  1       2      0       8
Jamie Webb                      2       2      7      17

       Totals:                        13       5     10  

Cranford (17-6)               11   13   16   11   51
Gov. Livingston (11-9)         7    6    8   13   34

Rebounds:

Assists:

Blocks:

Steals:

Cranford girls' basketball advances to UCT semifinals for first time since 2006; Cougars down Oak Knoll at Rahway - Cranford Navigator

Cranford girls' basketball advances to UCT semifinals for first time since 2006; Cougars down Oak Knoll at Rahway - Cranford Navigator

35TH ANNUAL FRANK J. CICARELL

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT

QUARTERFINALS

By JR Parachini

Union County Sports Editor

ROSELLE – Sometimes it takes more than steals, passes, rebounds and – ultimately – baskets to win games.

Sometimes it takes a little yelling by the head coach to get a team going.

Third-seeded Roselle needed that against 11^th-seeded Johnson in Thursday Tournament quarterfinal games at the Lions Den at Roselle Catholic.

After giving up a 13-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Rams – following first-year head coach Duane Eason’s strong pep talk – outscored Johnson 7-0 in overtime to
survive 65-58.

“We had to go back to man and that made a difference in overtime,” Eason said. “We had to attack them again and play our tempo and not sit back.”

TUESDAY, FEB. 24 SEMIFINALS

AT ROSELLE CATHOLIC

7-Westfield vs. 3-Roselle, 6 p.m.

4-Cranford vs. 1-Roselle Catholic, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18 QUARTERFINALS

AT RAHWAY

Cranford 57, Oak Knoll 44

Roselle Catholic 63, Linden 43

AT ROSELLE CATHOLIC

Roselle 65, Johnson 58 (OT)

Westfield 47, Summit 45

Roselle won its fifth straight and improved to 18-5, while Johnson had a four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 13-9.

The teams previously split Union County Conference-Mountain Division contests, both winning at home.

Roselle reached the semifinals for the second straight season and will play in the first semi at Roselle Catholic Tuesday night at 6. The Rams last reached the final in 2006
and captured their only championship in 2002.

During a frantic final seconds, Johnson sophomore Cyndi Wilson grabbed an offensive rebound and scored inside at the left of the basket to tie the game at 58-58 with just two seconds
left. The Crusaders outscored Roselle – which seemed to have
the game in hand – 20-7 in the fourth quarter.

Of the 16 games played in the tournament so far, this was the only one that went to overtime.

“We let them hang around in that fourth quarter and weren’t pushing it,” Eason said.

Eason also reported that the reason junior point guard Bianca Partlow did not play was because of a stomach virus. Eason expects to have her back in the lineup for Tuesday’s
semifinals.

“She didn’t feel good all day,” Eason said. “She should be fine by Tuesday.”

Roselle was not able to beat Johnson on the road without Duggans in the lineup because of her knee injury at the time. The Rams almost didn’t survive without Partlow playing.

Neither team managed to make a field goal in the extra session, but Roselle was able to make seven-of-12 free throws after taking advantage of numerous Johnson turnovers and then
subsequent Crusader fouls.

Johnson wowed its fans by sending the game to overtime. However, the Crusaders ran out of gas in the closest they have come to reaching the semifinals in some time.

Roselle freshman and starting guard Johanna Jaramillo’s only point of the game turned to be the winning free throw. She made the first of her two attempts from the line early in overtime
to give the Rams a 59-58 lead.

The next Roselle free throws were made by Nyasia Davis and Shan-Tasia Padgett, both making one of two. The Padgett made two in a row before she missed two straight.

Felicia Claiborne made the game’s final two free throws following Johnson’s fourth OT turnover.

Although the Crusaders came up short – with both teams missing inside shots throughout the contest – they can hold their heads up high and take the experience of this game into the
Central
Jersey, Group 2 playoffs.

Johnson standout senior Gina Trani paced all scorers with 23 points and is now exactly 15 points away from 1,000 for her four-year varsity career.

Roselle was paced by standout senior Jakoya Duggans, who netted 22. Also scoring in double digits for the Rams were Davis with 15 off the bench,
Padgett with 13 and Claiborne with 11.

Johnson junior guard Kristy Pflug produced a stellar effort, finishing with 16 points after making 50 percent of her field goals. Her three 3s – all hitting nothing but the
bottom of the net – helped keep Johnson in the game before the Crusaders made
their comeback in the fourth quarter.

In the two quarterfinals at Rahway, fourth-seeded Cranford defeated fifth-seeded Oak Knoll 57-44 in the first game, while top-seeded Roselle Catholic ousted
eighth-seeded Linden 63-43 in the nightcap.

Cranford and Roselle Catholic will meet in the second semifinal Tuesday night at 7:30 at RC. The teams split UCC-Mountain Division contests, with Cranford winning at RC and
then RC winning at Cranford.

Cranford has defeated RC in the Lions Den during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 regular seasons, handing RC its first loss of the year all three of those campaigns. Cranford defeated RC at RC in
the season-opener for both in the 2007-2008 season, won at RC last year when RC
was 9-0 and won at RC this year when RC was 8-0.

Cranford improved to 16-5 and reached the semifinals for the first year since winning its only title in 2006. Third-year head coach Jackie Huber has guided her Cougars to the Final Four for
the first time.

Oak Knoll lost for the second straight time and fell to 15-6.

Roselle Catholic won for the ninth straight time and improved to 20-2.

Linden fell to 12-9.

WESTFIELD’S LORENTZEN COMES THROUGH IN THE

CLUTCH WITH THE GAME-WINNING BASKET

As drama-filled as the first game was, the second one provided even more, with seventh-seeded Westfield holding on for a hard-fought 47-45 victory over second-seeded Summit, which lost a tough quarterfinal game at
Roselle Catholic for the second consecutive season. In last year’s quarters,
seventh-seeded Summit lost to second-seeded Plainfield 45-36, with the victorious Cardinals
ending the game on a 21-0 run.

Westfield won for the eighth straight time and improved to 13-7. The Blue Devils began the season 0-3 and 1-5.

Summit had an eight-game winning streak snapped and fell to 18-3. Two of the Hilltoppers’ three losses have come at the Lions Den, with the first one a 44-34 non-conference setback to Roselle Catholic on
Jan. 19.

Although she didn’t score a single point through the first three quarters, Westfield 5-10 starting junior forward Charlotte Lorentzen was doing her job time and time again by grabbing one
important rebound – with the proper two-hand technique – after another.

Then, with the score tied and just 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, she hit the biggest shot of her life.

Right after Summit senior Michelle Burian connected on her first basket and scored her first points of the game by making a shot from the left side to tie the contest at 43-43, Lorentzen found herself open on the left
side with the ball and decided to put it up.

When the ball went in, Westfield went back on top for good at 45-43. Following a Summit turnover and then a foul, Blue Devil senior forward Diana Venezia scored the final two of her game-high 28 points by hitting the game’s last two
free throw attempts.

Westfield allowed Summit sophomore point guard Kate Martino to drive the lane and score on a layup to make what turned out to be the final score 47-45, but it was too little and too late.

For Lorentzen, it might have been the only shot she took. She gets credit for the game-winning basket because it put Westfield ahead to stay for good. Venezia’s free throws were crucial insurance points that were, obviously, needed.

“I thought shot right away because I knew there wasn’t a lot of time left, so I knew I had to throw it up and get it in,” said Lorentzen, who also came down with 10 rebounds.

“It was amazing,” Venezia said of Lorentzen’s shot. “She’s playing awesome for us. Rebounding was the key to this game tonight and that shot at the end of the game was just amazing.”

“That was big for us,” Westfield head coach Joe Marino said. “Charlotte all season was a little not too confident in her shot and I’m really happy for her that she managed to hit that big one when we needed it.”

After Westfield lost at home to Summit 44-42 in Union County Conference-Watchung Division play on Jan. 26 when Summit senior Emily Cristaldi produced the winning basket at the buzzer, Lorentzen and her teammates expected another
battle right to the end.

“We knew that we lost to Summit before and really wanted to win this game to get to the semifinals,” Lorentzen said. “We’re going to be practicing real hard to beat them (Roselle) and we’re going to try to make it a game just like
tonight.”

Venezia has come on real strong of late, with a total of 77 points in her last three games, including 18 Monday night in Westfield’s 49-41 first round win over Governor
Livingston at Union Catholic and a career-high 31 in Tuesday’s impressive 43-26
non-conference win at Cranford.

This is what Venezia thought it took to win the game: “A lot of heart. We came out wanting it in the beginning.”

Summit trailed by 12 at 33-21 heading into the fourth quarter, which was Westfield’s largest lead. The Blue Devils also led by 11 a 36-25 with six minutes to go when the Hilltoppers made their move.

“Summit’s a great team and we knew that they were going to come back at some point and we just had to hold on to it.”

Westfield reached the county’s Final Four for the third time in four years. Westfield, as the third seed, lost to 14^th-seeded Elizabeth 48-46 in overtime in a first round game
last year at Roselle Catholic.

Westfield defeated Elizabeth in the 2008 final at RC for its first title after falling to Scotch Plains in overtime in the 2007 title game at RC. That was the first year the Blue Devils reached the final.

Summit, which again just fell short of reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2000, was led offensively by Cristaldi’s 19-point effort.

Cristaldi stepped up big-time in the fourth quarter by scoring 13 of her points in a period that Summit won 14-4. The Hilltoppers were outscored 7-2 in the third quarter with the Blue Devils
ending the period on a 7-0 run after a basket by Kate Martino opened the second
half scoring.

Cristaldi, who had to sit the last three minutes of the second quarter with two fouls, had six points at the half and those same six points going into the fourth quarter.

Cristaldi nailed a 3-pointer that gave Summit a 41-39 lead with 1:15 left.

After a basket by Westfield senior Amanda Markowski tied the game at 41-41 soon after, Cristaldi was called for her fifth foul at half court with 49 seconds left. Cristaldi tried to take the ball away from Markowski, but made
contact with the Westfield player.

Two free throws by Markowski gave Westfield a 43-41 lead before Burian’s basket tied the game for the final time.

“I have no problem with the way we played tonight,” Summit head coach Brian Erickson said. “Every time we step out on the court it’s Summit basketball.”

Sophomore Kelly Osmulski also turned in a solid effort, producing 13 points and several key rebounds before fouling out late in the game.

Martino finished with eight points. Cristaldi has scored in double digits and has been Summit’s leading scorer in all 21 games. She now has 1,089 points for her career and is third on the girls’ all-time scoring
list at Summit.

“My team gave it everything they’ve got,” Erickson said. “If a team wants to box-and-1 us, then good for them. If they think we have a player or two that needs to be guarded closely like that, well
I have confidence in every one of my players.

“In the first half Emily didn’t get as many looks as - maybe - she wanted and missed a few. Kelly got some shots, Michelle got some shots, Cassie (Hall) got looks and Kate got looks. Everybody
on our team had looks and they were good looks, they just didn’t fall.”

That was the case especially in the third quarter when Summit scored only two points. Then the Hilltoppers netted 24 in the fourth, which is something you don’t see that often, a team scoring two points
in one quarter and then 24 in the next.

“Over the last four weeks, those shots have been falling and tonight they didn’t until late,” Erickson said. “When we played them the last time it was the same type of game.

“I have to give a ton of credit to Joe (Marino) and his staff. His kids played a tremendous ball game. I thought my kids were just as tired and just as spent and the effort was there.

“I’m not going to say anything negative about my team. This is Summit basketball every time we step on the floor.

“The better team beat us tonight. They won, so they were better tonight. We were better last time by two points.

“It was a great ball game by two good teams, it was well officiated, and that’s what Union County basketball is all about right there, I think you got to see it.

“You saw physical basketball. You saw some great defense. I have nothing but high praise for my kids. They gave me everything they had.

“We are who we are and that’s what you saw tonight, bottom line. I’ll take that every time out on the floor. Those kids, they’re the reason why I come to school and go to practice – they give me
everything that they have.

“That’s the same reason why Joe does. His kids give him everything as well.”

NOTES: Summit has clinched at least a tie for the first Union County Conference-Watchung Division crown. The Hilltoppers are 11-1 in the division, with conference games remaining at home against Scotch Plains and Westfield, if necessary. Westfield is 8-3, with games remaining at Plainfield, at Summit and home against Elizabeth. The best Westfield could do is tie Summit for the division title, but would have to
win all three of its remaining games and Summit would have to also lose to Scotch Plains, which is not likely.

FIRST QUARTERFINAL AT ROSELLE CATHOLIC

11-JOHNSON (13-8) 13
9 14
20 0 - 58

3-ROSELLE (18-5, 5 in a row) 14 19
18 7 7
- 65

JOHNSON (58):

3-Kristy Pflug 2-3-3-16

22-Jessica Schurtz 1-0-0-2

14-Michele Smorol 1-1-1-6

13-Gina Trani 8-0-7-23

55-Kate Matthews 0-0-0-0

12-Eryka Underwood 0-0-0-0

15-Cyndi Wilson 4-0-3-11

24-Lauren Saracen 0-0-0-0

Totals: 16-4-14-58.

Starters: Wilson, Underwood, Pflug, Matthews, Trani

ROSELLE (65):

24-Jakoya Duggans 7-2-2-22

13-Nyasia Davis 5-0-5-15

30-Felicia Claiborne 2-1-4-11

10-Shan-Tasia Padgett 5-0-3-13

32-Sabery White 1-0-1-5

11-Johanna Jaramillo 0-0-1-1

Totals: 20-3-16-65.

Starters: Duggans, Claiborne, Padgett, White, Jaramillo

SECOND QUARTERFINAL AT ROSELLE CATHOLIC

7-WESTFIELD (13-7, 8 in a row) 15 11
7 14 -
47

2-SUMMIT (18-3) 10 9
2 24 - 45

WESTFIELD (47):

2-Katie Ponce 1-0-2-4

4-Danielle Miller 1-0-0-2

10-Nicole Bilica 0-0-0-0

12-Anne Knisely 0-0-0-0

15-Diana Venezia 7-1-11-28

20-Charlotte Lorentzen 1-0-0-2

22-Amanda Markowski 3-0-5-11

12-Anne Knisely 0-0-0-0

Totals: 13-1-18-47.

Starters: Lorentzen, Venezia, Miller, Ponce, Markowski

SUMMIT (45):

11-Kate Martino 4-0-0-8

5-Emily Cristaldi 3-3-4-19

30-Cassie Hall 1-0-0-2

20-Kelly Osmulski 5-0-3-13

21-Michelle Burian 1-0-0-2

10-Amanda Murphy 0-0-1-1

24-Olivia Galuppo 0-0-0-0

Totals: 14-3-8-45.

Starters: Cristaldi, Martino, Osmulski, Burian, Hall

35^th ANNUAL FRANK J. CICARELL

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT

SEEDS: 1-Roselle Catholic. 2-Summit. 3-Roselle. 4-Cranford.

5-Oak Knoll. 6-New Providence. 7-Westfield. 8-Linden.

9-Dayton. 10-Gov. Livingston. 11-Johnson. 12-Union Catholic.

13-Union. 14-Plainfield. 15-Hillside. 16-Rahway.

17-Scotch Plains. 18-Elizabeth. 19-Kent Place. 20-St. Patrick.

PRELIMINARY ROUND:

Friday, Feb. 12

At Johnson

Scotch Plains 52, Rahway 34

Saturday, Feb. 13

At Rahway

Union 75, St. Patrick 14

Plainfield 50, Kent Place 40

Hillside 58, Elizabeth 37

FIRST ROUND:

Monday, Feb. 15

At Johnson

Linden 60, Dayton 57

Roselle Catholic 63, Scotch Plains 31

At RoselleCatholic

Oak Knoll 34, Union Catholic 28

Cranford 50, Union 43

At Rahway

Johnson 35, New Providence 34

Roselle 70, Plainfield 53

At Union Catholic

Westfield 49, Gov. Livingston 41

Summit 63, Hillside 44

QUARTERFINALS

Thursday, Feb. 18

At Rahway(top side of the bracket)

Cranford 57, Oak Knoll 44

Roselle Catholic 63, Linden 43

At RoselleCatholic (bottom side of the bracket)

Roselle 65, Johnson 58 (OT)

Westfield 47, Summit 45

SEMIFINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Tuesday, Feb. 23

At RoselleCatholic

7-Westfield vs. 3-Roselle, 6 p.m.

4-Cranford vs. 1-Roselle Catholic, 7:30 p.m.

FINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Friday, Feb. 26

At RoselleCatholic

Junior varsity: 5:30 p.m.

Varsity: 7:30 p.m.

VARSITY UCT CHAMPIONS

GOING BACK TO 1992:

2009 – Roselle Catholic

2008 – Westfield, first time

2007 – Scotch Plains

2006 – Cranford, first time

2005 – Scotch Plains

2004 – Scotch Plains, first time

2003 – Roselle Catholic, first time

2002 – Roselle, first time

2001 – Union Catholic

2000 – Union, first time

1999 – Summit, first time

1998 – Union Catholic

1997 – Elizabeth

1996 – Elizabeth

1995 – Elizabeth, first time

1994 – Linden

1993 – Linden

1992 – Union Catholic

A compelling Final Four - UCT girls' basketball semifinals Tuesday night at Roselle Catholic - Cranford Navigator

A compelling Final Four - UCT girls' basketball semifinals Tuesday night at Roselle Catholic - Cranford Navigator

35^TH ANNUAL FRANK J. CICARELL

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT

SEMIFINALS PREVIEW

By JR Parachini

Union County Sports Editor

This is one of the most compelling Final Fours in some time.

Three of the top four seeds made it, with all having more than an even chance to win two more tournament games and lift up the championship trophy Friday night.

Both Roselle and Cranford will be attempting to reach the championship game for the first time in four years.

Westfield has made the most dramatic turnaround of any team in the county this season.

Roselle Catholic is the defending champion, the top seed for the first time, is out to repeat for the first time and will play at home as the home team in the semifinals and if it
wins, will play at home as the home team in the final.

Last year Roselle Catholic won in the semifinals and the final for the first time in its own gym, although the fourth-seeded Lions were the road team against top-seeded Scotch Plains in
the semifinals and also vs. second-seeded Plainfield in the
final.

Here’s a closer look at this year’s Final Four:

Seventh-seeded Westfield (13-7, 8 in a row): The Blue Devils have won 11 of 12 – with the lone defeat in that stretch a loss at the buzzer to Summit, which
Westfield just defeated in the UCT quarterfinals - and 12 of 14
since beginning the season 1-5.

Westfield was 0-3 before it won. Despite key players such as Diana Venezia, Katie Ponce, Amanda Markowski and Ann Knisely returning – although Knisely was injured for much of the season – something wasn’t clicking
at the onset.

On Jan. 5 in their second Union County Conference-Watchung Division game, the Blue Devils led host Scotch Plains 16-7 after the first quarter. Despite a
then-career-high 26 point performance by Venezia – who also grabbed five
rebounds and blocked three shots in that contest – Westfield was outplayed the
rest of the way and lost 53-42.

The only losses since then have come to teams Westfield has defeated the second time it played them – Cranford and Summit, with the
Cougars finishing third in the Mountain Division and the Hilltoppers winning the
Watchung Division.

“We wanted to stay low under the radar,” said Westfield head coach Joe Marino, who on Feb. 16 in his team’s 43-26 win at Cranford won his
100^th game in his 11^th season at the helm. “We were
struggling a little bit, but then we ironed them out and finished some things
and added a couple of different wrinkles to it and made it
work.”

Westfield is in the semifinals for the third time in the past four years. The Blue Devils won the UCT for the first time in 2008 after reaching the final for the first time in 2007. Last year’s team, as the third
seed, lost to 14^th-seeded Elizabeth 48-46 in
overtime in a first round game at Roselle Catholic.

Westfield will face third-seeded Roselle Tuesday in their first matchup of the season. Roselle won its first UCT in 2002 and is seeking to reach the final for the first time since
2006. The Rams lost to Plainfield in the
semifinals last year.

‘It will be interesting and a challenge for us,” Marino said. “If we can play hard wan pretty much be competitive with them.

“We can kind of relate them to a Plainfield team, a Linden team, Elizabeth. They’re going to be scrappy. They’re going to be all over the floor.
They’ll be in our face, which is fine.

“We’ll invite that and just do what we have to do.”

Venezia has scored 77 points in her last three games, including 28 against Summit and a career-high 31 against Cranford.

“Diana’s been hot for us, she’s had a hot hand,” Marino said. “When teams start to worry about Diana it opens it up for everyone else.”

“I can’t pinpoint it, I don’t know exactly why we were not as strong in the beginning of the year,” Venezia said. “Now that we’re playing this well, I’m loving it and we want to
win it.”

Titles won: 2008.

Third-seeded Roselle (18-5, 5 in a row): Since standout senior and 1,000-plus points scorer Jakoya Duggans returned to the lineup on Feb. 5, the
Rams are 5-0. With her out of the lineup with a knee injury, Roselle went just
1-3 and lost three straight.

“With Jakoya being back and healthy and ready to rock and roll, this is what it’s all about,” first-year Roselle head coach Duane Eason said after Duggans scored a game-high and
season-high at the time 25 points in a convincing 60-48 conference win at
Cranford on Feb. 5.

Because Roselle swept Cranford in conference play, the Rams were able to finish second in the Mountain Division behind champion Roselle Catholic, which the Rams have
lost twice to in conference play and once in holiday tournament
competition.

Roselle needed overtime to survive Johnson in the quarterfinals and had to do so without junior point guard Bianca Partlow, who missed the game with a stomach virus.

On Thursday night, Eason reported that Partlow should be ready to go on Tuesday night.

Other than the three losses to Roselle Catholic, with Duggans missing the third game, which was the one played at Roselle, the Rams have only lost to Johnson and Governor
Livingston – with Duggans missing those games with her injury. With Duggans in
the lineup, Roselle defeated Johnson and GL the first time around in
conference play.

So, heading into Tuesday night, the only team that has defeated Roselle with Duggans in the lineup has been Roselle Catholic twice.

“Even a team like ours - which is as strong as we are - you really only have one kid that is really the heart and soul and that’s Jakoya,” Eason said.

The supporting cast has excelled as well this year, including Partlow, seniors Shan-Tasia Padgett and Felicia Claiborne, junior Sabery White, sophomore Nyasia Davis and freshman
twins Sandra and Johanna Jaramillo. The Rams have had to overcome the loss of
junior Joye Hunter, out for the season with a knee injury.

Titles won: 2002.

Fourth-seeded Cranford (17-6, 2 in a row): The Cougars are 5-4 since their 12-2 start, which included a seven-game winning streak.

However, Cranford’s last two games have been double-digit victories over winning teams Oak Knoll and Governor Livingston. The Cougars began the season with a two-point loss at
GL.

“Before the Oak Knoll game we struggled a little bit with outside shooting and defense,” third-year Cranford head coach Jackie Huber said. “We had seven 3s in that
game (the quarterfinal win over Oak Knoll) and did a phenomenal job on
defense.”

In the 57-44 win, which included a 20-6 start, Cranford limited Oak Knoll leading scorer Catie Mota to 14 points.

The Cougars then downed GL 51-34 at home Friday for added momentum going into Tuesday’s game vs. RC.

For a team that will be playing on the road in a somewhat hostile environment, Cranford actually looks forward to playing the Lions at the Lions Den.

Why?

Because Cranford has a good resume in that gym.

The Cougars have won conference games at Roselle Catholic the last three seasons. In addition, third-year head coach Jackie Huber won a junior varsity county championship over
Governor Livingston in that gym during her last year as the Cranford JV coach in
2007.

Cranford’s varsity team captured its only UCT championship in 2006 – at RC’s gym.

So Cranford teams know what it takes to win big games at RC.

Huber’s first game as Cranford’s head coach was a 41-38 overtime triumph at Roselle Catholic in the season opener for both two years ago.

Her Cougars knocked off a 9-0 Roselle Catholic team at RC last year and an 8-0 Lions squad at RC this year.

Here’s a closer look:

2007-2008 SEASON

Dec. 21, 2007 at RC: Cranford 41, Roselle Catholic 38 (OT)

The season-opener for both. Roselle Catholic then won at Cranford.

2008-2009 SEASON

Jan. 15, 2009 at RC: Cranford 44, Roselle Catholic 33

Roselle Catholic was 9-0, including a conference win at Cranford.

Roselle Catholic then came back to beat Cranford in UCT quarters.

2009-2010 SEASON

Jan. 16, 2010 at RC: Cranford 49, Roselle Catholic 47

Jamie Webb layup at the buzzer wins it for the Cougars.

Roselle Catholic was 8-0.

Roselle Catholic then won at Cranford.

“My girls are very excited that they’re playing Roselle Catholic at Roselle Catholic again,” Huber said. “We play better excited against them on their home court than we do on our
own.”

In last year’s quarterfinals at Rahway, Roselle Catholic came back to edge Cranford 36-35, scoring eight of the game’s final nine points after Cranford led 34-28 with two
minutes to go.

Allison Skrec made two free throws with two seconds left to erase a 35-34 deficit.

“We felt that last year’s game was taken away from us in the last seconds,” Huber said. “The refs called a blocking foul and Allison made the free throws.

“This year it’s the same situation, just one game higher.

“One of our goals is to make the county final. What better place to play than at Roselle Catholic to fight for that.”

Roselle Catholic came back against Cranford in that game last year and in this year’s first conference game Cranford came back against Roselle Catholic.

Cranford tailed 42-31 heading into the fourth quarter of the Jan. 16 game at RC. The home team Lions looked to be in control as the fourth quarter began before Cranford was able to chip away at the deficit.

Eight minutes later and – after Webb’s game-winning shot – the Cougars outscored the Lions 18-5 in the fourth for the victory.

“We had a couple of those kinds of comebacks,” Huber said.

One of those came in a near win eight days earlier when Cranford fell at Roselle 52-50. The Cougars trailed by 17 heading into the
fourth quarter before outscoring the Rams 20-5 in the final eight
minutes.

Another came after the RC win, which was a non-conference overtime road win over Linden. Cranford won the fourth quarter 12-9 and then overtime 8-3 to
complete a 44-39 triumph. A 3-point basket by sophomore Morgan Miller with 12
seconds left tied the game at 36-36, sending it to OT.

“Not giving up when the team is flat is what separates good teams from great teams,” Huber said. “We fight harder to get back into it.

“When a team may expect us to be tired, that’s when we have the most energy.”

In the last meeting against Roselle Catholic there was no Cranford comeback. On Seniors Day at Cranford, the Lions won 42-33, jumping out to a 10-3 lead after
the first eight minutes and not allowing the Cougars to comeback in the second
half.

“They came out strong in that game and we were struggling to hit our shots,” Huber said. “For about a two-and-a-half week period our shots were falling in and out.”

That stretch began with a 38-28 conference loss at Union Catholic on Feb. 4. Cranford easily topped the visiting Vikings 38-21 at home back on Jan. 7.

“We had a hard time getting shots back recently until the Oak Knoll game,” Huber said. “Against Roselle Catholic the last time we played them, our shooting was very
off.

“We know they’re going to get their shots and Meghan Faughnan is going to shoot her 3s. Skrec will score her points too.

“We need to step up defensively and do a little bit more.”

Cranford played mostly man defense the last time, with senior center Danielle Gross and freshman forward Kaitlin McGovern guarding Faughnan, who can totally take over a game if
she gets hot with her 3-point shooting.

“Part of the problem last time was that we were too worried about making sure there was help off of her,” Huber said. “She has a quick release. We have to make sure we have a hand in her
face at all times.”

Titles won: 2006.

Top-seeded Roselle Catholic (20-2, 9 in a row): The Lions could easily be undefeated, with both losses coming in the fourth quarter after they
held double-digit leads in the period. The other setback was at Toms River North
46-40 Jan. 25.

In its first two UCT games, Roselle Catholic beat Scotch Plains by 32 and Linden by
20.

Senior guard Jenny Malone, successfully coming back from her ACL surgery, is as good as it gets running the point.

Malone suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of last year’s championship game win over Plainfield, a thrilling 55-50 double overtime RC triumph.

“Because Jenny is playing so well it’s easy to forget what she came back from,” Roselle Catholic head coach Joe Skrec said. “After playing AAU games in September, she was back and
ready to go for day one.

“Her comeback has been remarkable. Short of the brace she wears on her knee you wouldn’t know what happened to her last year.

“She’s a really tough young lady and a winner.”

Junior Melissa Tobie can drive to the hoop with authority and is a more-than-capable rebounder.

Senior Anthonia Ajumobi’s job is to clear the way once she comes down with a key rebound – leading the Lions in that department.

Then there’s Faughnan, who from the top of the key can be as deadly as anyone in the county.

“Meg played one of her best games against Linden,” said Skrec, with Faughnan scoring a game-high 21 points. “She hit a couple of 3s, her defense on the wing was very good and she
made a conventional 3-point play (basket while fouled and ensuing free throw).
Meg has improved going to the basket, in addition to being an outside
presence.

“Anthonia did a great job of boxing out against Linden’s bigger players.”

Despite the talents of every performer he has, including bench players such as Betina Petit, Skrec expects his team to have its hands full again come Tuesday
night.

“Cranford is a very good program, a very good team and can win in a lot of gyms,” coach Skrec said. “We’ll try to have a different result this time and know it won’t be
easy.”

Immediately after his team’s win at Cranford, Skrec spoke of the way his squad had better fourth quarter possessions – sparked by Malone running the offense – and that the Lions
were more aggressive.

“It was not an “A” game that we played, but it was a good game,” Skrec said. “We still think we can play better.”

One player who gives Cranford length is promising freshman Jessica McCoy, who has the ability to score in transition and also start a fast break after going up and
grabbing a defensive rebound.

“Cranford defends us well,” Skrec said. “Their girls are tall and long and they can block shots. They bother us in the paint, which is an area we have to address.

“With us, playing defense and defending Cranford are at the top of our priority list.

“Cranford has five threats on the court, five girls you have to defend. We feel we have the same thing, which makes us good and Cranford
good.”

Although his team has lost at home to Cranford the past three seasons, Skrec puts that in perspective:

“At this point, when the ball is thrown up at 7:30 Tuesday night, none of that matters,” Skrec said. “No one will be thinking about what happens in the past.

“Everybody is the hunted now. During the regular season we might have had an X or a mark on our backs, but now everybody is out to beat everybody.

“We don’t feel any sort of extra pressure.

“What we do as a team is most important. On any given night any of our top five players can lead us in scoring.

“Whoever is open, whoever is shooting the best, it doesn’t matter. We have confidence in all five girls we have on the court at that time.”

Skrec also gives Huber credit for reaching the semifinals after losing quality senior players in Elizabeth Snyder, Angela Renna and Mary Kate Minitelli.

“She really has done a good job,” Skrec said.

Titles won: 2003, 2009.

JOHNSON SENIOR TRANI 15 AWAY FROM 1,000

Johnson senior Gina Trani, who made the varsity roster as a freshman, begins the week 15 points away from reaching 1,000 for her four-year varsity career.

Trani scored a game-high 23 points and was part of a Crusader team that was right there with Roselle before falling 65-58 in overtime in Thursday night’s quarterfinals at Roselle
Catholic.

According to Johnson’s schedule on www.highschoolsports.net, the Crusaders are scheduled to host Governor Livingston Monday night at 7 in Union County Conference-Mountain Division play and then
host non-conference foe Nutley Tuesday
afternoon at 4.

Then, also according to the schedule, the states will start earlier for Johnson than most teams, with the Crusaders set to host Weequahic Friday at 5:30
p.m. in a first round Central Jersey,
Group 2 matchup. The other teams in that section are tentatively scheduled to
play their first round games on March 2.

ROSELLE PARK SENIOR GABBY CLAUER CAN PLAY

It was pointed out to me by a reader that Roselle Park senior Gabby Clauer should not be forgotten when reporting on the best players in Union County.

Good point.

Clauer concluded her senior season with a career-high 39 points in a 73-37 home win over St. Mary’s of Elizabeth Thursday.

She should be named among the top players in the county next Sunday when the Union County Coaches’ boys’ and girls’ Top 15 teams are announced at Union Catholic.

Placed in the Union County Conference’s Group 2-heavy Mountain Division this year, Roselle Park
finished just 3-18, but often held its own against much superior
teams.

The play of Clauer was a major reason why.

After helping lead Roselle Park to a 13-12 winning season last year when the Panthers spent their final season as a member of the Mountain Valley Conference’s Valley Division, Clauer
and her teammates found the going a bit tougher this season against bigger
schools such as conference foes Governor Livingston, Johnson, Hillside,
Cranford, Roselle, Roselle Catholic and Union Catholic, as well as
non-conference opponents Rahway and Summit.

However, Clauer – and teammates such as Jennifer Casselli, Jessica Johns and Lauren Corigliano – came to play every day and competed to the best of their ability.

The reader poined out that, according to The Star-Ledger, Clauerr scored about 470 points this season. She scored in double digits in every game and was the top scorer every single game
this season.

Clauer scored at least 30 points in four games and had 35 three-point field goals.

The Star-Ledger recognized her as Player of the Week in early January, so her talents are not going unnoticed.

The reader continued: “When you’re looking at your top players in Union County this year, take the time to look at Gabby’s season. Her team may not be in the top 10 in
Union
County, but Gabby deserves to be recognized this
season.

“I’m sure there are other great players being overlooked that play for teams similar to Roselle Park.
As a reporter, it’s your obligation not to forget them. They work just as hard
and deserve the same credit the players on those teams get. Thank you for your
time.”

In Roselle Park’s other wins, Clauer scored a game-high 30 points when the Panthers defeated
non-conference Somerset County foe Manville 59-44 on Jan. 11 and then netted a
game-high 29 when Roselle park stunned conference foe Johnson 57-52 in Clark on
Feb. 4.

That turned out to be Roselle Park’s first and only conference win of the season.

Roselle Park lost at home to Johnson the first time in conference play by a score of 64-27 on Jan. 7, so that was a nice turnaround for the Panthers.

Against UCC-Watchung Division champion and second-seeded Union County Tournament squad Summit on Feb. 16 in a non-conference home game, Clauer poured in 18 points in a 52-35
defeat.

Against UCC-Mountain Division champion Roselle Catholic, Clauer scored a team-high 16 points in a 65-30 road loss on Opening Day, Dec. 18, and a team-high 14 in a 55-29 home
setback to the Lions on Jan. 28.

“When we played Roselle Park we were very much aware of her,” Roselle Catholic head coach Joe Skrec said. “She was the focus of our defensive game plan both the
first time and second time we played them.

“She is a very strong player and was a tough player for us to defend. A lot of what Roselle Park
did on offense went through her and she was up to the
challenge.

“We remember her as a pretty smart player on offense too. Besides her skills, she was very sly and a creative player. That made it even more challenging to defend
her.”

35^th ANNUAL FRANK J. CICARELL

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT

SEEDS: 1-Roselle Catholic. 2-Summit. 3-Roselle. 4-Cranford.

5-Oak Knoll. 6-New Providence. 7-Westfield. 8-Linden.

9-Dayton. 10-Gov. Livingston. 11-Johnson. 12-Union Catholic.

13-Union. 14-Plainfield. 15-Hillside. 16-Rahway.

17-Scotch Plains. 18-Elizabeth. 19-Kent Place. 20-St.
Patrick.

PRELIMINARY ROUND:

Friday, Feb. 12

At Johnson

Scotch Plains 52, Rahway 34

Saturday, Feb. 13

At Rahway

Union 75, St. Patrick 14

Plainfield 50, Kent Place 40

Hillside 58, Elizabeth 37

FIRST ROUND:

Monday, Feb. 15

At Johnson

Linden 60, Dayton 57

Roselle Catholic 63, Scotch Plains 31

At Roselle Catholic

Oak Knoll 34, Union Catholic 28

Cranford 50, Union 43

At Rahway

Johnson 35, New Providence 34

Roselle 70, Plainfield 53

At Union Catholic

Westfield 49, Gov. Livingston 41

Summit 63, Hillside 44

QUARTERFINALS

Thursday, Feb. 18

At Rahway (top side of the bracket)

Cranford 57, Oak Knoll 44

Roselle Catholic 63, Linden 43

At Roselle Catholic (bottom side of the bracket)

Roselle 65, Johnson 58 (OT)

Westfield 47, Summit 45

SEMIFINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Tuesday, Feb. 23

At Roselle Catholic

7-Westfield vs. 3-Roselle, 6 p.m.

4-Cranford vs. 1-Roselle Catholic, 7:30 p.m.

FINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Friday, Feb. 26

At Roselle Catholic

Junior varsity: 5:30 p.m.

Varsity: 7:30 p.m.