By: John Powers
The South Hunterdon Regional High School girls basketball team is preparing for an interesting end of the season.
The Eagles, who lost to West Windsor-Plainsboro North last week before knocking off Hightstown, was scheduled to complete a suspended game from Feb. 3 with Metuchen Wednesday, then play at Voorhees Monday in a Hunterdon-Warren Tournament game.
The Eagles then have a nine-day break until their first Central Jersey Group I tournament game, March 3, at home against Manville.
The game with Metuchen was stopped at South with the Eagles (11-8 overall, 4-6 in Skyland Conference Raritan Division play) leading 52-37 with just over four minutes left. The game was stopped when Metuchen senior guard Kristen Edmonds broke her collarbone after a collision.
"I was surprised that they didn’t call and forfeit I was under the impression that they would forfeit it," South Hunterdon coach Lori Daniel said. "I guess they said the game can’t end that way. I just wish I would have known about it at the time because I wouldn’t have agreed to it."
Edmonds’ legs tangled as she dove for a loose ball.
"She was 10 points shy of her 1,000 points; I really felt bad for her," Daniel said.
The Eagles, fourth in the sectional playoffs, got the No. 6 seed in the Hunterdon-Warren Tournament.
"I was pleased with the seed," Daniel said.
Voorhees figures to be a very difficult test for the Eagles. The Vikings, the runner-up in the Skyland Conference Delaware West Division, are 16-4 after Saturday’s 60-57 win over Delaware Division East champ Hillsborough. Senior Rachel Ferdinand had a career-high 27 points and added 13 rebounds, eight steals and six assists.
"We have a lot of respect for Carmen (Vikings coach Carmen Cook) and their team," Daniel said. "It’s going to be a big challenge for us."
But Daniel wasn’t conceding either. The Eagles have been playing well especially junior forward Casey Slack, senior forward Erin Buchanan and junior guard Amanda Garefino Garefino.
"(Casey) Slack is really coming on, and Erin has been playing tough on defense," Daniel said.
Slack went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and finished with 15 points to lead the Eagles past Hightstown 34-25 last Friday. Slack had 11 points and five rebounds in a 67-40 loss to West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Thursday. Garefino had 10 points and four steals. Slack led the scorers with 15 points, while Garefino added 11, and junior forward Breanna Fulper 10 as the Eagles beat Princeton 50-45 Jan. 31.
Fulper had 21 points before the game with Metuchen was suspended.
"I don’t think our record is a good reflection of our talent," Daniel said. "We had four or five games that could have easily gone the other way."
