Cougars fall in state hoops
By: Justin Feil
Tori Sensi and the Montgomery High girls’ basketball team weren’t intimidated by the No. 5 rated team in the state, according to the Dorf Feature Service.
From the start to the finish for 30 of the Cougars’ 32-minute North Jersey 2 Group III quarterfinal game Thursday, they hung right with Scotch Plains-Fanwood. But in the final 2 minutes, 36 seconds of the first half, Scotch Plains used a 12-0 run to build a 28-16 lead and the Cougars never quite recovered in a 54-41 loss to end their season.
"They’re a good team," Sensi said. "I think we matched up pretty well with them. We came in with confidence that we could stay with them. And we did except for two minutes."
Sensi gave the Cougars hope when her half-court prayer was answered to end the third quarter and pull MHS within 11 points. But three straight turnovers from the Cougars prevented them from bringing the deficit to a manageable single-digit margin.
"We just wanted that run," said Sensi, who finished with eight points. "Some of the turnovers hurt us. We did play aggressively. Everyone played well and aggressive. Nobody had a bad game tonight. That’s what you ask for. We’re upset with the loss, but we finished strong."
Though they couldn’t get that one run Thursday, Sensi’s senior class has put together quite a run in the last three seasons. The Cougars, who finished 18-6 this season, will graduate four seniors Sensi, Megan Fox who led MHS with 15 points Thursday, Lindsey Van Houten and Deanna Repollet.
"We wish we could have had a championship of something," Sensi said. "This is a very tight senior group. Fox is one of my really good friends. Deanna is one of my good friends. ‘Truck’ (Van Houten) is a good friend. Everyone got along so well and that brought everyone else so close. Other classes weren’t as big, but it was a good experience for them. Everyone came together."
That’s what makes it so hard to see this senior group go. From the time they were playing as sophomores, big things were expected of this season.
"We were in a tougher division and people thought we wouldn’t get the 18 wins we had last year," said MHS head coach Paul Popadiuk. "We got it. This group got us a lot of wins. They got us 52 wins. They did a nice job. They played hard and played some good teams."
And the group, which made up four-fifths of the Cougars’ starting lineup Thursday, will be missed next season.
"I’m going to miss them every day," Popadiuk said. "Each of them brought something different. There’s a little bit I’ll miss with each of them. I’ll miss Tori’s smile. I’ll miss Megan’s work ethic and love of basketball. (I’ll miss) Truck’s desire to just shut someone down. I have not had someone like that at the girls’ level who just wanted to stop someone from scoring. (I’ll miss) Deanna’s hustle. She brought it every day.
"This was not an ultimate disappointment," he added. "There are three teams in the Top 7 in our sectional, so you just have to play hard and see what happens. We played hard and things didn’t work out tonight."
But the Cougars proved that they belonged among the elite teams in their sectional and the state. MHS gave Scotch Plains a test for all but two minutes. Even when the Cougars couldn’t find a way to score, they hung around by making it difficult on the Raider offense.
"I don’t think anyone else, maybe Shabazz, played man (defense on Scotch Plains) for 32 minutes," Popadiuk said. "I’m proud of our girls for playing good defense. That kept us in it."
But ultimately a tough stretch cost MHS a chance to pull the upset. Scotch Plains called off their full-court press in the second half even though it had gotten them a couple of key steals in the 12-0 run. But it also may have been the only way MHS could get back into the game.
"We can play with some of the best," Sensi said. "If we play well and play our best, we know we can play with anybody. We had a couple breakdowns and didn’t do what we should have, but otherwise we were OK."
For the first 14 minutes of the game, the Cougars were much better than OK. They attacked the Scotch Plains press, and finished the first quarter with a 9-8 lead on Emily Hyncik’s putback with three seconds left. They held their largest lead, 14-11, on two free throws from Fox. They tied the game, 16-16, on a layup by Sensi off an assist from Fox, who played the entire game against 6-foot-3 St. Joseph’s-bound Hillary Klimowicz.
"Megan’s been a rock, the foundation, for us," Popadiuk said. "She played like it tonight. By far, that’s the toughest girl she has played.
"It was a wash with points. I thought Megan did a nice job on the boards. That’s all you can look for. She missed a few free throws that I think she would have liked back. She had to expend a lot of energy on the defensive end. For her to score 15 points expending that energy is great to see."
MHS cut the lead to single digits, 28-20, when Van Houten scored the first two baskets of the second half, but the Cougars never found a run of more than 5-0 to really apply pressure to Scotch Plains.
"I’m proud of the girls for battling," Popadiuk said. "The key was that run and our inability to get any runs. We held them well. We had the opportunity to close the gap and we couldn’t get it done."
But for all but two minutes of its sectional quarterfinal, the Montgomery High girls’ basketball team showed it belonged with one of the state’s best teams.