Wednesday,
February 25, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Julia McClure and Secaucus moved to within one win of a long-sought county title with a 76-41 win over Marist in the Hudson County Tournament semifinals. |
JERSEY CITY – Coming back to the Yantelli Center on the campus of Saint Peter's University could have been a jarring experience for the Secaucus girls' basketball team. The last time the Patriots took the floor there was two years ago in the Hudson County final, which ended in a double-overtime loss to Lincoln.
Then, just sophomores, it was a crushing defeat for Andie Lennon, Julia McClure, and Kendall Caruso, who all played major roles in that game. Now, as seniors and still searching for the school's first county title, those bad memories are well in the rear-view mirror. This group has had tunnel vision all season and are determined to finish what they started when they came onto the scene as freshman.
Lennon and McClure combined for 18 points in a 24-0 run in the first quarter as top-seeded Secaucus cruised into the Hudson County finals with a 76-41 semifinal win over fourth-seeded Marist on Tuesday night on that same floor at Saint Peter's University in Jersey City.
“We like to push the pace and our pressure in the full-court got us as the pace that we wanted to play at,” said Secaucus head coach John Sterling. “We boxed out well and we shot extremely well to start the game. That got us in our comfort zone.”
Jasmine Reese opened the scoring for Marist, only to see Secaucus answer with a run that set the tone for the remainder of the game. Lennon hit all four of her shots (including a pair of 3-pointers) and McClure had eight points as the dynamic duo combined go 7-for-8 from the floor during the 24-0 run that gave the Patriots a commanding lead.
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Rose Delbert had 12 points for Marist, which fell to 14-7 on the season. |
Three-pointers from Marist's Rose Delbert and Alyssa Gomez cut the lead down to 15 midway through the second quarter. Once again though, the Patriots turned on the jets and quickly regained control. Julia Peschetti's steal and layup at the buzzer capped a 15-3 run to close the first half and put Secaucus well in front by halftime, 42-15.
“It's always key to set the tone and we have a lot of balance on both ends of the floor,” said McClure, who is signed to play at Division 1 Wagner College next year. “We came out really relaxed and that helped us get off to a good start. We're starting to put the pieces together and our shooting percentages are higher. Now we have four girls averaging double-digits in scoring, so you can't just key on stopping Andie or stopping me.”
Lennon tied a career-high with 27 points for Secaucus (25-0). The senior point guard seems to save her best for tournament play as her two other 27-point efforts have come in the state tournament (vs. Dayton her sophomore year and vs. University last season). Junior guard Kristina Ulrich finished with 18 points, four assists, and four steals. McClure had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds), while Caruso scored all nine of her points on a trio of first half three-pointers. Peschetti led all players with seven steals.
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Kristina Ulrich had 18 points for Secaucus, which will play Lincoln in a rematch of the 2013 final. |
Reese had 14 points and Delbert 12 to lead Marist (14-7)
Secaucus now gets its long-awaited rematch with three-time defending champion Lincoln for the Hudson County title on Friday night, also at Saint Peter's University. When they lost to Lincoln in double overtime in the 2013 county final, there were tears in the eyes of the Patriot players. This time, they hope there will be tears of joy.
“We can't wait to get to Friday, seems like it will take forever,” said Lennon, who will play at Caldwell College next year. “I know other teams take us for granted because of our size, but we make up for it with our quickness and our heart. For the girls were on the team when we lost here two years ago we've been focusing on this moment ever since then, ever since my sophomore year. We don't let our record get to us, we take every game one-by-one. But now the county finally are right here, we can't wait to go out and play.”
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