Team won 19 games, division title
By: Rudy Brandl
Despite all their ups and downs, the Hillsborough High girls still managed to capture another basketball banner this season. That’s par for the course for a program that produces something significant almost every year.
HHS veteran head coach Jim Reese, who just completed his 13th year at the helm, expected great things from this year’s group. He wasn’t always satisfied with the results, but he certainly took pride in his team’s ability to remain among the elite during an era when the game is changing and becoming much more competitive.
"There’s a real rise in girls’ basketball right now," Reese said. We won 19 games against the toughest competition we’ve faced. There were no gimmies. It used to be that you could count on a bunch of wins just by rolling out the balls. Things are different now. Our conference is tough. A lot of games came down to the fourth quarter."
Even the greatest teams can’t count on winning every game that’s decided in crunch time. The HHS girls won most of those battles, but elimination losses in the semifinal rounds of the Somerset County and Central Jersey Group 4 tournaments hurt the team. Immaculata played a better final eight minutes to end Hillsborough’s county run and Howell escaped by the skin of its teeth when fatigue took its toll on the Lady Raiders.
"In both cases, we had people miss open jump shots in the fourth quarter," Reese said. "If the game comes down to who’s making shots, your margin of error is very small."
The Lady Raiders didn’t win their third Somerset County title in a row, but they earned a share of the Delaware East Division crown by finishing 8-2 in the league. Hillsborough bolted to a 7-0 start that included another holiday championship in the competitive War of the Worlds Tournament and finished with a solid 19-6 record.
Hillsborough’s season included three of Reese’s more memorable victories an entertaining triumph over Hunterdon Central in the War of the Worlds semifinals in December, a nail-biter against division rival Watchung Hills in January and the overtime thriller vs. Rancocas Valley in the Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals.
Seniors Kelsey Kutch and Ebony Jones led the Lady Raiders to that scintillating comeback. They were also among the leaders in all statistical categories.
Kutch had a huge year averaging 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. She scored her 1,000th career point in a January home victory over Westfield and finished her career with 1,291 points. Jones was second on the team with averages of 11 points and six rebounds per game. Jones also led in assists (4.5) and was second in steals (3.5), while Kutch led in steals (4.5) and added two assists per game.
Fellow seniors Heather Neumann and Lisa Cannellos also contributed to the team’s success. A mid-season shoulder injury to Neumann hindered her long range shooting and affected the team. Neumann was leading the county in 3-pointers and second on her team in scoring at the time of the injury. She finished with a 9.9 scoring average despite finishing the season in pain. Cannellos also gutted it out with a bad ankle and ended up averaging 5.7 points.
Junior center Kaitlin Capriccio returned to form after suffering a serious injury her sophomore year and chipped in with 5.5 points per game. While Capriccio remained healthy, the Lady Raiders lost a key bench player in freshman point guard Kaitlin Kwiecinski.
The Lady Raiders accomplished a great deal without much depth. They were a tired team at the end of the season. Those key injuries didn’t help the situation.
"It was disappointing because of the injuries," Reese said. "When we were playing our best, this could have been the best team we ever had. I really think winning 19 games is an accomplishment. Without those injuries, we could have had a really special team."
Hillsborough looked like it was headed in a multiple championship direction after running the table in December. The HHS girls were hitting almost 50 percent of their shots and scoring points in bunches. Their defense wasn’t great, but they scored enough points to mask that deficiency.
Things got tougher in January and February when injuries made it difficult against the rigorous Delaware East Division schedule. Hillsborough squandered a two-game lead in the league but recovered to beat Franklin and Montgomery to earn a share of the prize.
"We hit a crisis stage after losing two in a row in the conference," Reese said. "With our second-leading scorer at the time (Neumann) hurt, we stepped up and won two games to get a share of the conference championship. The Franklin win was the biggest of the year. We were down in the fourth quarter and pulled it out."
Hillsborough cooled offensively in the second half of the year and finished with a 37 percent showing from the field. The Lady Raiders remained consistent from the free throw line, making their shots 70 percent of the time.
The four senior starters and backup Stephanie Romanoskie will graduate from Reese’s team, leaving plenty of openings in next year’s lineup. Capriccio leads a list of eligible returnees that includes juniors Maria DiTunnariello, Caitlyn Katzelnick, Jessica Vos, Kelly Pultorak and Victoria Wilson, sophomores Janice Jeschke and Melissa Weinstein and freshman Kwiecinski.
"We have to have people take big steps up," Reese said. "We have more question marks than the last time we went through this. It’s going to be an off-season for people to earn positions. There are a lot of opportunities and a lot of minutes for anybody who wants to put in the time."