Erin Fahy scored a game-high 17 points as Cresskill picked up its sixth straight win, 54-23, at Midland Park on Wednesday.

MIDLAND PARK – Heading into this season Cresskill had four returning starters who were all going to be seniors. They were hoping for a dominant campaign that ended in championships. However, when the Cougars started the season with just three wins in their first nine games the question became, can they right the ship in time to still reach the lofty goals they set for themselves?

While there was concern, there was never any sign of panic. After some tough losses against quality competition, the senior-laden squad started to find its rhythm. With a showdown looming on Friday against archrival Park Ridge, a pair of seniors made sure the Cougars remained on an upward trajectory.

Erin Fahy led the way with 17 points and Julia Hasenstab added 12 as Cresskill notched its sixth straight win by taking an early lead and never looking back in a 54-23 road victory over Midland Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Fahy scored inside twice and blocked three shots over the first four minutes of the game as Cresskill jumped out to an 8-0 lead with the Cougars blocking Midland Park’s first six shot attempts. Alexis Williamson got the Panthers on the scoreboard with a short jumper, and they trimmed the lead to 9-4 at the end of the first quarter.

Although most coaches would be happy with a five-point lead, Cresskill head coach Mike McCourt was not one of them. With the Park Ridge game just 48 hours away, he wanted a more crisp first-quarter effort from his team.

Alexis Williamson led Midland Park with 16 points..

“I’ve been with a lot of these girls for four years and they knew the way we played in the first quarter offensively was not acceptable,” said McCourt. “We’ve been playing well over the last two weeks or so. It’s a good group of girls and they have a lot of experience, but we have to play with purpose on every possession.”

Struggling to find a groove on offense, the Cougars used their defense to create their offense. Fahy and Caitlin McGee were the beneficiaries of those active hands on defense, each scoring six points to help Cresskill gain full control of the game by halftime, 28-11.

Cresskill was more efficient in the third quarter and moved the ball methodically until they found the open for a shot or a layup. Another senior, four-year starter Sophia Doto nailed a 3-pointer to beat the third-quarter buzzer and put the Cougars up by 27.

“Sophia has started all four years for us, and she is a very important piece of our team,” added McCourt. “For us to beat Park Ridge and keep this thing going we need her to find another gear, which I’m confident she will. As long as she makes good decisions and we keep the ball in the middle of the floor, we’re able to run our offense much better. I think our strength of schedule will be helpful to us. We’ve played as tough of a schedule as any Group 1 team in Bergen County. We did that to help us prepare better for the bigger games we’ll play, like the one against Park Ridge on Friday.”

Fahy, who recently reached the 1,000-point mark for her career, finished with six rebounds and four blocks to go with her game-high 17 points for Cresskill (9-6). McGee added a career-high eight steals to go with her eight points. Williamson finished with 16 points for Midland Park (3-9).

Sophia Doto nailed a 3-pointer to beat the third-quarter buzzer and put the Cougars up by 27

The rematch the Cougars have been waiting on for the past two weeks is finally upon them. In their first meeting, Park Ridge overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to win in overtime. It was an emotional loss for the Cougars, but one they feel they have learned from. Before thinking of making a run at a section title, the Cougars first must beat Park Ridge just to possibly earn a share of a league title. With a share of first place in the NJIC-Patriot league on the line, they know the time is now for them to finally put together four full quarters together.

“For some reason we always seem to start slow in this particular gym, but that’s no excuse,” said Fahy. “We picked it up, but we need to play better. I don’t think today was indicative of what we can fully do. For us to beat Park Ridge we have to play well for all 32 minutes. I’ve played with the other three seniors (Hasenstab, Doto, and Maddie Morgan) since 3rd grade. It’s sad to know that our time playing together is coming to an end. But we’re looking forward to having a good ending. We want to beat Park Ridge, make a run in counties, and hopefully win a section title. We’ve never made it past the semifinals in our section, so this is the year we want to get to the final and we want to win it.”

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