January
19, 2007
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| Tiffany Conner had a game-high seven steals to go along with 10 points for Teaneck, which improved to 13-1 on the season. | |
TEANECK – Even for a team that has become accustomed to winning, Teaneck has still been somewhat of surprise this season, starting with 12 wins in its first 13 games. The quick start has been in large part due to a full-court pressure defense that wears opposing teams down. Facing a solid test against Secaucus yesterday, the Highwaywomen knew that they needed to force the tempo to keep their winning ways going.
Holding a four-point lead at halftime, Tamiel Murray and Tiffany Conner set the tone early in the third quarter and Teaneck never looked back. Murray finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals as Teaneck held off a late charge from the Patriots to win 60-49.
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| Kristen Bronowich scored seven first quarter points as Secaucus got off to a fast start. |
“Every win is a big win for us,” said Murray. “We have played against the girls from Secaucus since we were like nine years old, so we knew this would be a tough game. They had a tough point guard and a good player in the paint, so we just tried to contain them and wear the rest of the team down with our pressure defense.”
Despite being a Group 1 school playing against Group 3, Secaucus showed early that the gap between the two teams was not as large as the enrollment between the two schools. Cory Roesing and Kristen Bronowich each scored seven points in the opening stanza.
When Elise Lennon hit a three-pointer, the Patriots held a 17-9 lead with two minutes remaining, but the Highwaywomen showed how quickly they could put points on the scoreboard. They forced four turnovers in the final two minutes of the period, turning all of them into baskets and an 18-17 lead.
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| Rebecca Florczyk each chipped in with nine points for Teaneck. |
Battling the flu, Secaucus’ Jenna Totaro was pressured by Murray throughout the game. Although she handled the press relatively well, the 15 ppg scorer was held out of the scoring column in the first half and Teaneck grabbed a 27-23 lead at the break.
“We had to pick it up a notch, that was the bottom line,” said Teaneck head coach Kelly Jacob-Burns. “Cheryl (Bott) is an excellent coach and they are always ready to play. They have three good shooters and (Roesing) on the inside, which makes them tough to play against in a half-court set. We just kept pressing and then switched to a 3-2 matchup zone, which I think got us back on the right track.”
Murray and Conner rarely allowed the Patriots to get into an offense in the third quarter. Conner and Cherelle Wizard were the beneficiaries on the offensive, each converting three lay-ups as Teaneck led by as many as 15 late in the third quarter.
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| Despite battling the flu, Secaucus' Jenna Totaro finished with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds, four steals, and two blocks. |
“We
lost this game because we didn’t take care of the ball,” said
Secaucus head coach Cheryl Bott. “For a good part of the game, we handled
their pressure pretty well. But they are so athletic that it makes it tough
for any team to get into an offensive rhythm. I’m proud that even down
(15) that we kept fighting and had a chance at the end.”
Totaro got on a roll late with her three-pointer cutting the lead to eight,
55-47, with just over two minutes to go. After a Teaneck turnover, the Patriots
had the ball with a chance to cut into the lead. But they turned the ball
over and Teaneck survived the run and came out victorious.
Conner had a game-high seven steals to go along with 10 points for Teaneck (13-1). Wizard and Rebecca Florczyk each chipped in with nine points. As a team, the Highwaywomen finished with 18 steals.
Roesing recorded her customary double-double for Secaucus (8-4) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Kristen Bronowich also reach double-digits with 13 points. Totaro did most of her damage in the second half, finishing with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.
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| Teaneck's Meridian Morgan going in for a layup. |
Teaneck is off to a flying start and have visions of contending for county and sectional titles, but Jacob-Burns wants to leave those thoughts in the background for the time being and focus on each game.
“We’re just taking it one game at a time,” added Jacob-Burns. “If we were to look ahead, that is when you get beat. This team has gone through a lot this season both on and off the court. To win 13 out of our first 14 games shows the resiliency these girls have.”
FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THE EVENT OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS GAME STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.
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