3-point shooting barrage fuels championship rout
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High girls completed an undefeated summer of outdoor basketball with a resounding 47-26 championship victory over Montgomery at Ann Van Middlesworth Park.
Hillsborough (15-0) easily repeated as champions thanks to an unusual assault from the perimeter that included seven 3-pointers. Jess Rainey nailed three from behind the line, while backcourt teammates Jenn Geigert and Tiara Simpkins each drained a pair of bombs on a night that wasn’t exactly made for shooting from long range.
"It was breezy, so the wind probably blew them in," Hillsborough head coach Jim Reese joked. "With the way the wind was blowing, I thought we were going to have to drive to the basket. We ended up hitting seven threes."
Reese would love to see his girls shoot like that when the high school season begins Dec. 14. Hillsborough has struggled with outside shooting in the past, so any improvement in that area will make the team even more dangerous and competitive in the winter.
"The Montgomery parents kept yelling that they shouldn’t give us those shots," Reese said. "Normally, you can give us those shots. I’m hopeful that those three girls will continue to shoot well and shoot better than last year."
While Hillsborough didn’t always enjoy the red-hot touch from the outside during the summer, the girls played solid defense in every game. That’s ultimately what carried the Lady Raiders to a perfect record.
The perimeter trio sparked the defense with hounding pressure. Reese was particularly impressed with Rainey, who figures to be a key player at both ends of the court in her sophomore season. Rainey can play several positions and is the likely replacement for graduated standout Erin Fuller.
"Jess should be able to fill Erin’s role in our presses," Reese said. "We should still be able to play very good defense."
Barrie Quick led the inside crew from her center position. Several other players contributed to the summer season success and auditioned for the winter.
Janet Henry made major strides as an inside presence. No longer hampered by injury, Henry showed some nice post moves and gave the Lady Raiders a dependable rebounder. Forward Erin Crawford also had a solid summer. Crawford can rebound, run the floor and play aggressive defense. Sara Lavell had some solid games as a swing player. Lavell can run the court but also has the size to play under the basket.
The rest of Hillsborough’s summer roster included Colleen Yancheck, Katie DiGiovanni, Lauren Page, Nicole Humphrey, Iris Lee, Annemarie Abate and Alicia Monticchio.
Hillsborough’s scoring in the finals was balanced with Geigert (12), Simpkins (10) and Rainey (10) all hitting double figures. Henry had eight points and Crawford added six, all in the second half. Quick and Page did a nice job on the boards along with Henry.
NOTES The Big East and ACC divisions of the summer league also wrapped up their seasons.
Syracuse completed a 12-2 season with a 35-27 win over a tough Seton Hall team for the Big East title. Lisa Daffern led Syracuse with 14 points. Ashley Coheleach, Katie Yard, Jamie Bush and Kristen Titus had strong games for the Orange. Seton Hall was led by Erin Poulter, Krystina DeLuca and Ali DeLuca.
Georgia Tech beat Maryland 35-23 for the ACC crown. Tech was led by the play of Christina and Melissa Weinstein, Melanie Romero, Nicolette Lemonie, Carolyn Mehrtens and Tara VanDoren. Maryland had a great season and was lead all season by the play of Maria DiTunnariello and Sara DiClemente.

