Jackson’s action too much for Vikes

Standout center Stevenson unstoppable in CJ IV opener

By: Rich Fisher
   JACKSON — As homecomings go, this one ranked right up there with those Thanksgiving dinners in which the arguments start during the Macy’s Day Parade, and end when Clarence his getting his wings late at night.
   Beth Barrio returned to her alma mater for the first time since graduation Monday night, but the host Jackson High School girls basketball team made Barrio’s South Brunswick squad feel pretty uncomfortable in taking a 53-37 victory in the first round of the Central Jersey Group IV tournament.
   The main party pooper was Jags standout center Justine Stevenson, who played the role of nagging mother and put all the Vikings in a bad frame of mind.
   Only because she was so good.
   Stevenson, who will play at Long Island University next year, had 23 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Vikings had no one to counter her height and athleticism. Stevenson was also recruited by ACC schools for track and field.
   "She’s an all-around athlete and she’s strong," coach Beth Barrio said. "She’s a true post player."
   "None of our defenses worked against her," added forward Christina Campagnola. "She’s a great player."
   The job of guarding Stevenson was left to Susie Miller, who did as much as she could while trying not to foul out.
   "Susie played tough on her, played hard." Barrio said. "She had a lot of size and strength on Susie, and I think Susie did a good job for as good as that girl is. She was in foul trouble, she played the whole second half and didn’t foul out, she worked hard offensively. That’s all we can ask."
   The Vikings (15-11) only lead of the game was at 2-0 when Campagnoli hit a baseline jumper. But 9th-seeded South Brunswick would not score again until the score was 12-2, and by then the rout was on.
   The Jags (19-9) looked like anything but an 8th-seed between Stevenson and guard Brittany Eckett, as they continued to pull away. It was 31-11 at halftime and 41-20 after three quarters.
   Trailing by 23, South Brunswick gave a glimmer of at the end of the third quarter when Kim Janssen converted a three-point play. The Vikes opened the fourth quarter in impressive fashion, when Ashley Wandishin hit a bucket and Jordan Confessore (18 points, five rebounds) scored five straight to pull South Brunswick within 14 with over seven minutes left.
   Jackson coach Rachel Goodall, a high school teammate of Barrio’s, called timeout, gave her team a tongue lashing then turned it loose. Stevenson scored four straight points to start a 10-3 run, and the game was pretty much over.
   Jackson held a 38-25 rebounding advantage and the Vikes shot just 15-for-44 from the field.
   "They scored a lot on putbacks and they were tough defensively," Barrio said. "They were quick and we got caught up a little bit standing around. We weren’t really passing and moving as much as we would have liked to. We made that adjustment in the second half, and it gave us more of a scoring opportunity, but the hole was a little too deep."
   The Vikes were again without guard Janay Barnett, who played in two Greater Middlesex Conference games before realizing she was not fully recovered from knee surgery.
   "She’s just not ready to come back," Barrio said. "She’s not 100 percent healthy. We don’t want to injure her and make it worse than the recovery already is. It’s a really difficult recovery and we’re just going to hold her for next year and wait until she’s 100 percent.
   "After South Plainfield (on Feb. 19), she even said she wants to do things her body can’t do yet, and it’s frustrating for her. We don’t want to cause her more mental stress after difficult surgery."
   As for her return to Jackson, Barrio said it was strange at first, but then turned into business as usual.
   "Once you get going, everything really just leaves your mind," she said. "It’s just about the game. It doesn’t matter where, who or when.
   "Coming in was interesting, I saw a lot of familiar faces. It’s been 12 years or so, so, there were a lot of people to see and say hello to. It always seems like home, but once the game starts they’re the enemy until after it’s over."
   Just like those Thanksgiving homecomings. Once you leave, they go back to being your family, not the enemy.