Freshman, jayvee, varsity teams complete holiday sweep
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High girls’ basketball program completed the 2003 portion of the season with a perfect December record.
All three HHS teams the varsity, jayvee and freshman units capped their 5-0 December runs by sweeping the War of the Worlds Holiday Tournament. Hillsborough’s three-tier sweep earned the school the Red Barn trophy for best overall performance by a program.
"It was a very well-run tournament," Lady Raider head coach Jim Reese said. "A lot of teams like a three-tier tournament because everyone gets a chance to play. This was nice because it means something to the jayvees and the freshmen. Everyone contributed to this."
The HHS varsity squad capped its tournament surge with a rather ugly 38-27 victory over host West Windsor-Plainsboro North. The Hillsborough jayvees also defeated WW-PN, while the freshmen topped Somerville to complete a 15-0 showing for the program in the old year.
Hillsborough opened the tournament with a pair of high-scoring victories, routing Lawrence (80-31) and county rival Somerville (75-39). Improved offensive play has been the key for the Lady Raiders in the young season.
"We’re scoring a lot of points and we have a lot of people who are scoring," Reese said. "We’ve been over 70 three times in five games, which is something we haven’t done in quite a while. I expected the offense to be better this year."
"We just played really well as a team overall," added senior forward Jess Rainey, who was named the tournament’s MVP. "Our offense is a lot better than last year. We just did things right."
Five different Lady Raiders reached double figures in the victory over Lawrence, a game that also featured a monster all-around effort from Rainey, who posted 10 points, six rebounds, eight assists and 10 steals. Junior Christine Rash led the way with 14 points and nine boards, while Allison Kutch (13), Kelsey Kutch (11) and Ashley Coheleach (10) also hit double digits.
Hillsborough had four girls score at least 10 points in the lopsided triumph over Somerville. Allison Kutch netted a season-high 20 to lead the way, with Rainey (16), Ali DeLuca (14) and Coheleach (12) also contributing with big games.
The championship game turned into a defensive struggle. HHS was clinging to an 18-14 lead at the half before breaking it open with a 16-5 surge in the third quarter. This time, it was defense that made the difference.
"We pressured full-court really well when we needed to in the second half of the championship game," Reese said. "We’ve had our moments defensively. We’re still forcing a lot of turnovers but we’re also giving up some easy baskets."
Hillsborough didn’t shoot well in the tournament final, missing a bunch of layups that allowed WW-PN to hang around early. Once the Lady Raiders applied the heavy defensive clamps in the second half, it was a matter of time before they could open a comfortable lead.
Rainey was the only player in the game to reach double figures with 12 points. She was also the only player to hit a 3-point shot against West Windsor’s tough defense.
"They play well defensively, that’s what they live on," Reese said. "They were able to do that in the first two games of the tournament but we handled their pressure OK. We didn’t shoot the ball too well but we played pretty good defense."
The HHS girls found a little rhythm in the third quarter, scoring almost half of their points while taking a 35-19 lead.
"There was just more intensity (in the third quarter)," Rainey said. "When we run the floor and run the fast break, we get a lot of points off that."
Reese has been happy with the front court rotation of Rash, Coheleach and freshman Kelsey Kutch. With junior Erin Poulter getting healthy, the Lady Raiders should be very deep in the paint.
Seniors Rainey and Allison Kutch have been playing well and point guards DeLuca and Carolyn McNamara have been steady.
"We have a good mixture, we’re pretty deep," Rainey said. "Our bench always gives us a good effort."
The Lady Raiders were set to return to Delaware Division play Tuesday night at home vs. North Hunterdon. They’ll travel to Bridgewater-Raritan for another key divisional showdown tonight. The January schedule includes plenty of tough tests, so the team certainly can’t relax and take anything for granted after cruising to a 5-0 start.
"It’s an encouraging start, but we can still play better," Reese said. "I don’t think we’re totally where we want to be. We can play better, but so far, so good."