DeLuca comes off bench to provide lift

RAIDER ROUNDUP

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   The Hillsborough High girls’ basketball team needed a spark in last Thursday night’s game against Franklin.
   Freshman Ali DeLuca provided it by coming off the bench to score a career-high 13 points. DeLuca nailed three 3-point shots and added four free throws to lead the Lady Raiders to a 59-46 triumph.
   Franklin, a perennial doormat in the Delaware Division, was giving Hillsborough trouble in the early stages of the game. The visitors took an 11-10 lead after one quarter and only trailed by seven at the half. HHS finally opened a comfortable lead in the third quarter.
   Junior guard Allison Kutch, who’s been hobbled by a knee injury, also netted 13 points in her best game since a Jan. 10 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan. Kutch, Jess Rainey (9 points) and Carolyn McNamara all stroked threes for the winners. Erin Poulter (7) and Sara Lavell (5) added points in the paint.
   The Lady Raiders also defeated Warren Hills by a 51-38 margin on the road and entered this week’s action with a 6-2 record in the Delaware Division. HHS opened with a 16-6 spurt and never looked back, holding Warren Hills to just 12 points in the first half.
   Lavell led the way with 14 points and seven boards. Rainey had a solid all-around game with 11 points, five assists and six steals. McNamara (7) and Ashley Coheleach (6) also contributed offense.
   Hillsborough’s modest two-game win streak ended with a non-conference loss at Voorhees on Saturday afternoon. The 59-50 setback marked Hillsborough’s third road loss to a top 20 opponent this season.
   Voorhees stormed to a 19-11 lead after one quarter and held off Lady Raider runs the rest of the day. Sara Best posted 19 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the winners.
   Coheleach and Rainey each scored 10 points to lead Hillsborough, while Kutch netted nine. HHS was outscored 18-5 from the free throw line.
   The Lady Raiders (8-5) were scheduled to play at Watchung Hills Tuesday night before returning home for a big divisional contest against North Hunterdon tomorrow night.
Wrestlers lose
another close one
   
The Raider wrestlers haven’t gotten many breaks this year. Last week’s 34-23 loss to local rival Somerville featured a few more bumps in the rocky road.
   The first bout of the night at 160 pounds proved to be a preview of the rest of the match. Somerville’s Craig McGuinness nipped John Newman in a 4-3 decision, a sign of things to come on a night when the Pioneers enjoyed plenty of good fortune.
   Somerville won another tight one at 171, where Angelo Quintana defeated Phil Lavoie by a 9-6 margin. The Pioneers went up 9-0 when 189-pounder Marion Easley beat James O’Hara by a 10-5 decision.
   The Raiders seemed poised to take control of the match after 215-pounder Mark Amerman decked Trey McEwen just before the first period buzzer at 1:59, but the Pioneers claimed all the momentum they’d need with a huge win at heavyweight.
   Jesse Miller, who wasn’t even on the team at the start of the season, managed to hold down HHS senior Antonio D’Amelio to win a double overtime rideout. Raider head coach Steve Molinaro thought his big man had escaped to win during the 30-second overtime session, but the officials ruled that Miller maintained control. This six-point swing spelled doom for the Raiders.
   HHS got back into the match with a pin from Adam Kull at 103 and major decision from Andrew Gewain, who bumped to 112 pounds. The Pioneers won four of the next five bouts to take the match.
   Sophomore Kevin Lynch was impressive in dismantling Steven Kraska in a 14-4 major at 130 pounds, while Pat Jastrzebski produced the other Raider points with a 2-0 victory at 152.
   Hillsborough was scheduled to host Delaware Valley last night and Franklin tonight before traveling to Warren Hills Saturday night.
Boys fight uphill
battle at Linden
   
The HHS boys knew it wouldn’t be easy to go into Linden for a basketball game on a Saturday night. The Raiders found out why Linden is ranked in the state’s top 20.
   Linden bolted to a 19-9 lead after one quarter but the Raiders didn’t quit. Hillsborough made things interesting with a 17-8 surge in the third period but couldn’t come all the way back, much like the rally that fell just short at Franklin two nights earlier.
   Mike Malko led the Raiders with 12 points, while Chris Haas connected for two 3-pointers and finished with 11. T.J. Sferra was shut out from 3-point land but finished with seven points.
   The Raiders (7-5) were slated to host Watchung Hills before playing at North Hunterdon tomorrow night. HHS still needs two victories to qualify for the state playoffs before the Feb. 8 deadline.
Track athletes soar
at Armory meet
   
Hillsborough’s track and field athletes made a trip to the New York City Armory on Saturday and returned from the New Balance Invitational with a handful of medals. They also set nine school records at the meet, which attracted 245 teams.
   The boys’ shot put relay team of Hector Tirado and Matt Bruce finished second (95-0¼), less than three inches behind O’Hara High. Tirado broke his own school record with a 51-11 effort.
   The girls’ pole vault relay team of Nicole Humphrey and Eileen Cafferty also finished second (17-6). Humphrey equaled her own personal-best and school-record jump with a 9-0.
   Both Raider 4×800 relay teams ran well and set school records Saturday. Roland Lane (2:06.2), Mike Klueber (2:00.5), Joe Brennan (2:04.4) and Nick Vaccaro (1:58.9) finished third for the boys in 8:08.55, while Jess Tsai (2:31.1), Allison Marcsisin (2:27.2), Ashley Uniszkiewicz (2:23.0) and Lauren Kloss (2:19.0) placed fourth for the girls in 9:39.92.
   The boys and girls also set individual and relay records in the triple jump. Jim Morley (38-8¼) and Franklin Andreyko (38-8) combined for the boys, while Jenizah Melendez (34-1½) and Caitlin Kosec (32-4½) teamed for the girls.