Lady Bulldogs topple Notre Dame

Girls basketball

By: Matt Nalbone
   No matter what happens for the rest of this season, the Hopewell Valley Central High School girls basketball team had a great year.
   After a disappointing 2001-02 season, the Lady Bulldogs came out strong, winning their first five games, and they haven’t let up since. Perhaps their biggest win took place last week when they played host to local powerhouse Notre Dame.
   Notre Dame jumped out to a quick lead and built up a 14-point advantage at halftime. The Lady Bulldogs came out on fire in the second half and cut the deficit to 10 after three periods.
   The comeback was completed in the fourth quarter, as Hopewell Valley outscored the Fighting Irish 21-8 to come away with a stunning 73-70 win.
   "We last beat them (the Fighting Irish) five years ago," Hopewell Valley coach John McGinley said, "back when I was an assistant. Before that, I can’t tell you when we beat them."
   Leslie Maurer led the offense, scoring a season-high 24 points while grabbing eight rebounds and handing out four assists. Kristy Cramp added 23 points, 17 coming in the second half, and netted five 3-pointers for the Bulldogs.
   Lauren Manley chipped in with 12 points, including two free throws with under two minutes left that gave Hopewell Valley its first lead of the game. After the foul shots, Maurer blocked a Notre Dame shot that led to a Cramp layup before making two more foul shots to ice the game.
   "It was a great win," McGinley said. "The girls kept calm and remained confident. It was great to get the lead and then finish it off.
   "In the first half, we gave up 49 points. We weren’t getting back on defense or fighting through screens, but we crept closer and kept it close. Then we made plays on both ends."
   It was the 10th win of the year for the Lady Bulldogs, who will return to the state tournament this year after a year away.
   Hopewell Valley’s next game didn’t end in quite the same fashion, as the Lady Bulldogs dropped an overtime game to Hamilton 51-41. Hopewell Valley (10-5) again trailed by as many as seven points, but fought back to force the extra session.
   But the Lady Bulldogs ran out of gas, as Hamilton made a big shot to open overtime. Hopewell Valley then turned the ball over, sealing its fate.
   "Throughout the whole game, we were giving up too many second-chance shots," McGinley said. "We were in a rut offensively, and we were rushing shots, but still we had a chance to win the game at the end."
   Cramp and Manley had nine points each, while Emily Newport and Maurer scored eight apiece.
   "Usually we get one or two in double-figures," McGinley said. "If we get even one (player in double-figures), we win this game. We had a shot to win, but there were a lot of little things throughout the game that, if we did things differently, we’re not in this spot."
   Cramp leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points a game, and leads the Colonial Valley Conference in 3-pointers with 27, despite missing two games due to injury. Hopewell Valley is averaging almost 50.2 points a game, while only allowing 42 per game on defense.
   Next up for the Lady Bulldogs is a game against Pennington on Thursday, followed by a match-up with Princeton on Saturday.