Lady Raiders go out with a phenomenal effort
By: Rudy Brandl
MARLBORO The Hillsborough High girls certainly didn’t wilt under the big-time atmosphere and pressure of a noisy, crowded gym in a state playoff basketball game.
In fact, the Lady Raiders did the exact opposite and gave the top-seeded Marlboro girls a major scare before losing an exciting 48-41 semifinal contest in the Central Jersey Group 4 playoffs last Friday night.
Marlboro’s big gym was packed with 1,000 fans and most of them were expecting another rout. The young Lady Mustangs (23-2) hadn’t been tested often this winter and entered the game with a 13-0 record on their home floor.
The proud and determined HHS girls did everything they could to spoil that perfect mark. Hillsborough played its best game of the season and nearly pulled off a monumental upset against an all-freshman starting five that’s received much hype throughout New Jersey.
"We played extremely well and very hard," Lady Raider head coach Jim Reese said afterward. "They’re obviously a very talented team. Give them credit. I don’t care what grade they’re in. They did things right, but I’m very proud of our team."
"We played an awesome game," added senior forward Erin Fuller, who scored 11 points in her final high school game. "It was great to make it this far. We’re just sad it over. We played our hearts out and I’m glad we did because this was our last game."
The Lady Raiders took an early lead and were in the game for 32 minutes. Marlboro head coach Craig Uplinger noted that no other visiting team enjoyed a lead over his team after the first quarter this season.
"I was very impressed with Hillsborough," Uplinger said. "They’re well-coached and the players play their role and they really hustle. Outside of Red Bank Catholic and Toms River South, this was one of the best teams we’ve seen."
Hillsborough trailed by three with less than three minutes remaining before Marlboro pulled away with some clutch free throw shooting.
"We might have worn down a little bit," Reese said. "We hung in there and had some chances. They run the floor extremely well and they’re talented in all facets of the game."
Marlboro took control of the game with an 8-0 run that spanned the end of the third quarter and first minute of the fourth. After Barrie Quick banked in a shot off a beautiful pass from Jenn Geigert to give HHS its last lead at 32-31, the Lady Mustangs scored the final six points of the third quarter. A transition lay-up by Sharnee Zoll in the opening minute of the final frame completed the spurt and put the home team ahead by a 39-32 margin.
Hillsborough didn’t quit, scoring the next two hoops to force a Marlboro time-out with 5:35 to play. Tiara Simpkins drove the lane and banked in a shot to halt a 3:17 scoring drought and Fuller followed with a jumper from the left corner.
Marlboro counted with Zoll, the smooth point guard who finished with 12 points, hitting a jumper from the middle of the lane. Fuller answered from the left corner with 4:01 left and the Lady Raiders were back to within three at 41-38.
Both teams came up empty on ensuing possessions. The Lady Raiders had a chance to tie but Fuller missed a three and Marlboro went back to work. Power forward Chakhia Cole, who had 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds, took advantage of Quick’s foul trouble and drove inside. Cole’s power move produced a five-point lead with 2:39 remaining.
After Lauren Wang converted one of two free throws to cut the lead to four, the Lady Mustangs spread the floor and played keep-away. Hillsborough was still under the limit for fouls so it took a while to get Marlboro to the free throw line.
Once they got there, the Lady Mustangs put the game away. Two offensive rebounds of missed free throws helped the home team ice the victory. Zoll and shooting guard Brina Pollack, who led all scorers with 19 points, each made two free throws in the final 30 seconds to pad the lead and send the home crowd home happy.
The Hillsborough crowd made most of the noise in the early going when the Lady Raiders bolted to an 8-1 lead. Quick, Geigert, Fuller and Simpkins all scored early and the visitors sent a message to the young upstarts. Quick scored six of her team-best 12 points in the first quarter.
"We were so pumped up," Fuller said. "We knew everyone had to pick it up to win this game. I’m really proud of the girls for not giving into the pressure and playing such a great game."
Marlboro chipped away at the lead but still trailed 15-10 at the end of the opening quarter. The Hillsborough defense forced seven turnovers in the frame.
Quick built the lead back to seven with a lay-up off a feed from Geigert, who dished out six of her game-high eight assists in the first half. Marlboro went on a 7-0 run to tie the game, but backup guard Stacey Lindle hit a three and Fuller scored from the left baseline to put the Lady Raiders back on top. Marlboro closed the half on a 10-3 flurry to take a two-point lead into the break.
Hillsborough struggled against Marlboro’s zone defense in the third quarter, managing only seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.
"When we went to zone, we got our feet under us," Uplinger said. "They were running their offense extremely well and we didn’t have an answer for it. When we went zone, we started to get the momentum back."
The Lady Raiders never caved into that momentum or the pressure associated with a huge crowd in a big game. They kept fighting and competing like champions.
"I’m really proud of what the kids did here," Reese said. "They showed tremendous heart. I couldn’t ask for any more from them."
FREE THROWS Hillsborough wound up shooting 17-for-51 from the field, which translates to 33 percent … Marlboro made 17-of-45 shots from the floor but enjoyed a 12-3 edge in free throws made … HHS shot 3-for-6 and Marlboro hit 12-of-17 from the line … the Lady Raiders forced 15 turnovers and committed 14 … Geigert scored just four points but had five rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks … Wang and Fuller each added two assists and two steals, while Simpkins contributed eight points, four rebounds and four steals.