By: John Powers
The math was simple for the South Hunterdon High School girls basketball team before the beginning of last week.
The Eagles could go 3-0 and qualify for the Central Jersey Group I playoffs with a 9-8 record or go 2-1 and miss it at 8-9.
The Eagles got the first game, routing Hackettstown 63-38 and then got the toughest part out of the way with a 53-49 win against North Warren to get to 8-8. That was before a Friday date with Delaware Valley at home.
The Terriers had the day off from school because of bad weather, but the game came to fruition anyway. The Terriers, 5-12, eliminated the Eagles from gaining a state playoff berth with a 42-38 decision in West Amwell. Teams need at least a .500 record to qualify for the state tournament.
"The story was they didn’t have school," South Hunterdon coach Jack Kelly said. "We can’t play if we don’t have school, but apparently Del Val doesn’t have that rule. But last year, in a similar situation, we had to beat Del Val at cutoff time, it snowed Friday, and their athletic director (Sue Hammerstone) cancelled a game with North Plainfield the next day so we could have a chance. We had to win the game, and we didn’t."
This year, perimeter shooting failed the Eagles. South was 0-for-10 from 3-point range and shot just 32 percent from the floor and made 12 turnovers, but still lost by just four points.
"It was a winnable game, and I think we kind of beat ourselves," Kelly said. "When we started the week, we thought that North Warren would be the tough one. I joked to one of the coaches that, watch, we’ll beat North Warren, but lose to Del Val. We didn’t shoot well."
Outstanding sophomore forward Breanna Fulper had 24 points and 12 rebounds for South Hunterdon. The game was a back-and-forth affair. The game was tied at 12-12 after the first period, and the Terriers took a 23-20 lead at the half.
"I guess you can think, ‘Did we go flat because we beat North Warren?’" said Kelly, in his third year as the Eagles girls coach after a long career as a coach of several boys teams, including South Hunterdon and Bound Brook. "I don’t think that was the case. A lot of our kids play field hockey, and they understand the commitment. The girls program is in good shape in terms of commitment."
Guard Jessica Hewitt, the only senior in the South lineup, led the big win at home against North Warren. She knocked down 24 points, and sophomore Casey Slack added 16. Hewitt had four 3-pointers. The Patriots were sparked by 6-foot-1 forward Caitlin Flood, who had 19 points.
But South built a 7-point lead and never relinquished it, recovering from a 20-17 halftime deficit by outscoring North 36-29 in the second half.
"We played a very, very strong game," Kelly said.
The win against Hackettstown was never in doubt. Fulper had a game-high 26 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Junior guard Jenna Yanarella had seven steals for the winners in addition to her four points. Nine different Eagles scored.
"Breanna is the real deal," Kelly said. "She and Hewitt really complement each other."
Kelly found out Sunday that the Eagles had received the No. 8 seed for the upcoming Hunterdon-Warren Tournament. The Eagles will host No. 9 Phillipsburg at 6 p.m. next Thursday in a preliminary round game at home.
