Hillsborough girls back in SCT hoop finals

Fuller sets tone at both ends in semifinal romp

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   MARTINSVILLE — Erin Fuller wants to win it all this time.
   The Hillsborough High senior sure played that way in Monday night’s Somerset County Tournament semifinals against Mount St. Mary’s Academy at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School. Fuller shut down Mount star Krissy Suckow and scored a game-high 23 points herself to lead the Lady Raiders to a 59-36 triumph.
   Second-seeded Hillsborough (16-4) will challenge No. 1 Immaculata (21-1) for the county title tonight at 6 p.m. in a rematch of the last three SCT championship games. The Lady Raiders won in 1998 but have lost to the Spartans the last two years.
   "I’m feeling it this year," Fuller said while walking off the court after Monday night’s impressive blowout. "We have to go all the way. Last year, we came so close… one point (a 39-38 loss). This year, we’re going for it. It’s my senior year, we have to win it."
   Fuller and the HHS girls know it won’t be easy. Immaculata has appeared in 10 of the last 12 county finals, winning eight times. Three of those titles have come at Hillsborough’s expense, including 1996. Hillsborough has advanced to the finals five of the last six seasons but has captured the crown just once.
   "I think it says a lot for both programs that we’re here again," Lady Raider head coach Jim Reese said. "I also thought it was great for the county that teams like Mount St. Mary’s and Montgomery made a run in the tournament this year."
   Those runs ended Monday night. While the Lady Raiders dismantled the Mount with a strong second half, Immaculata took care of Montgomery right from the start. The two-time defending county champs opened an 18-8 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
   Hillsborough overcame a sluggish start and needed a halftime pep talk from Reese to get going. The Mount Lions entered the break with visions of an upset after Suckow stole the ball and beat the buzzer with a layup that cut the HHS lead to 20-17.
   "We were hustling and we were working, but we couldn’t run an offense," Fuller said. "It was like another halftime speech from last year, but it worked. I’m so glad we picked it up."
   And the HHS girls came out blazing.
   After the teams exchanged baskets in the first three minutes of the third quarter, Hillsborough owned the final five minutes and took command with an 11-0 spurt. Fuller and junior point guard Jenn Geigert each scored four points during the surge.
   Geigert, who scored 10 points after being shut out in the opening quarter, started the flurry by cutting behind the defense for a layup. Junior center Barrie Quick found her with a nice crisp pass. Fuller then made a steal and tossed in a left-handed layup. Quick made a free throw and Geigert netted a pair from the line to open a 10-point bulge. Baskets by Fuller and reserve guard Stacey Lindle gave Hillsborough a 37-23 cushion entering the final quarter.
   Meanwhile, Suckow wasn’t doing much besides picking up fouls. Suckow entered the game with a 22-point average, but Fuller’s pressure made it impossible for her to get in a groove. Suckow eventually fouled out of the game with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter.
   "She’s a tough player and we had to take her out of her game," Fuller said. "We just kept pounding her and she was getting so frustrated. She was shooting airballs and you could tell it was getting to her."
   "My game plan was to put Erin on her and Tiara (Simpkins) on her, but Tiara got in foul trouble," Reese added. "Erin has a lot of heart and she did a tremendous job on the both ends of the floor."
   Forward Anne O’Malley, the Mount’s second offensive option, was held in check as well. O’Malley had posted a double-double to lead the Lions to their quarterfinal upset win over Bridgewater, but she was blanked after scoring all six of her points in the second quarter. Quick did most of the defensive work against O’Malley.
   Hillsborough closed out the victory in style with a 22-point fourth quarter. Simpkins, who has been riddled by injury all season, showed why she’s a valuable cog in the Lady Raider machine. The junior forward scored seven of her 10 points in the final frame and made some fancy moves in the open court to electrify the crowd.
   "I feel so much better," said Simpkins, who suffered a dislocated left knee and then a concussion after returning from the first injury. "I wanted to be out there. It was hard for me to sit there and watch my teammates playing."
   Everyone in the Hillsborough camp agrees that it will take a huge effort to dethrone the defending county champs.
   "We know we have to play a great game," Reese said. "It’s a great rivalry."
   The players understand how they need to perform.
   "We have to play just like we did the second half, but we have to do it the whole game," Fuller said. "We had to get back (to the finals), especially after losing by one point last year."
   "We have to keep up our defensive intensity," Simpkins added "We want that championship. That’s what we came here to get."