Sunday,
February 28, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
Senior Madison McGlone (right) got to celebrate a county championship for the first time after Bayonne beat Lincoln, 34-27, in the Hudson County final on Saturday night in Jersey City. |
JERSEY CITY – When Madison McGlone and Kailey Gallagher were in junior high they used to watch as Bayonne dominated the Hudson County landscape with a long run of county championships. As the two entered high school and earned spots in the rotation as freshmen, the duo had thoughts of playing a big role their own string of titles.
Going into Saturday night’s title game though, this was it. After three years of falling painfully short, McGlone and Gallagher had one last shot at winning one. Facing longtime nemesis Lincoln, the two seniors made sure they finally got their chance to celebrate.
McGlone got the Lady Bees off to a hot start and Gallagher helped make sure they maintained their lead throughout as top-seeded Bayonne won its first Hudson County title since 2011 with a 34-27 triumph over second-seeded Lincoln at the Yanitelli Center on the campus of St. Peter’s University in Jersey City.
“This team deserved to win this title. We won this for Madison and Kailey,” said Bayonne head coach James Turner. “We knew we had to just play tough defense every single possession. I didn’t care if we won the game 8-6, we wanted to slow it down and control the pace.”
After nearly blowing a 13-point lead against Secaucus with less than four minutes to play in the HCT semifinals on Wednesday, the Bees played with a sense of urgency. McGlone was all over the court making plays in the first quarter with two steals and subsequent breakaway layups along with a 3-pointer that gave Bayonne the lead for good. Five of McGlone’s game-high six steals came in the first half.
|
Penelope Gonzalez and Lincoln were within four points at halftime. |
Bayonne led by eight until the final minute of the first half. A pair of turnovers led to transition layups by Zhane Williams and Penelope Gonzalez that cut that lead in half and gave Lincoln some momentum going into the locker room, down 16-12.
“We just had to calm down and play our game,” said Gallagher. “If we played our game and took care of the ball, we felt like we’d be ok. I knew they were going to pressure Madison more, so other players, including me, had to be more aggressive and become bigger offensive threats.”
Lincoln was within striking distance before a Gallagher drive to the basket gave the Bees some breathing room. Bayonne’s stifling defense never let the Lions get clean looks at the basket. Two straight defensive stops turned into key baskets on the other end. Freshman forward Jesse Semeniak stepped out and hit a 3-pointer from the corner for a 10-point Bayonne lead.
The Lions fought valiantly in the fourth quarter to get back in the game, but never got closer than five points. With the senior leadership of McGlone and Gallagher leading the way, the Bees spaced the floor and ran the clock as Bayonne closed out its first Hudson title in five years.
|
Kailey Gallagher had 9 points for Bayonne, which won its first Hudson County title since 2011. |
Bayonne (20-2) won the county title with not only an effective matchup zone defense, but also a balanced offense. In both the county semifinals and the final, the Bees did not have a double-digit scorer in either game. McGlone, who earned tournament MVP honors, and Gallagher each had nine points. Semeniak and Adrianna Blake each added five points.
Williams and Daniya Darby had seven and six points, respectively, for Lincoln (18-5).
With an elusive county title to their credit and a 17-game winning streak, the pressure is off. McGlone and Gallagher will see how far they can go in the state tournament knowing that no matter they will end their high school careers as champions.
“It’s an amazing feeling and one we’ve been waiting a long time for,” said McGlone. “These are the types of games you play for. We thought about this game from the beginning of the season and it feels great that we got that county championship we’ve been working so hard for all season. It gives us a lot of confidence going into the state tournament, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to work any less hard. We’re county champs now and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got to work towards becoming section champs as well.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |