FLORENCE—Basketball wins C.J. Group I championship

Defense key for Cipriano’s girls

By: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
    When Vince Cipriano looks up at all of the banners hanging in the gym at Florence High School, it’s not just to reminisce about the good old days.
    “It’s all about tradition here at Florence,” said Cipriano, the coach of the school’s girls’ basketball team. “I was a part of some of those banners as a player and as a coach. I want the girls on my team to be a part of that tradition.”
    As of this past Monday night, they are.
    Florence defeated Keansburg in the Central Jersey Group I title game, 36-27, at the host site of West Windsor North High School. It was the Florence girls’ basketball team’s first sectional championship since 1992.
    Florence was scheduled to play Gloucester City, the South Jersey Group I champ, Yesterday (Gloucester won 54-43). The winner of that game will play for the overall Group I title on Sunday at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.
    If Florence gets that far, it will probably be because of its defense. That’s certainly what won Florence the Central Jersey Group I title.
    “We’re not a high-scoring team,” noted Florence’s Erin Sweeney, who tied Molly Fitzpatrick for the team high with nine points. “We play defense.”
    If the Keansburg girls had any doubts about that, they were gone after Florence held them to just one point in the first quarter. Keansburg had a whopping nine points for the entire first half.
    “The girls are probably sick and tired of hearing my voice,” said Cipriano. “We preach defense. We don’t always play it that well, but tonight we did it when we had to.”
    The key for Florence was to score early and then frustrate Keansburg with a patient offense and a spectacular defense.
    “It’s not like rocket science,” Cipriano said, explaining how good defense and a patient offense can totally take over a game. “(The opposition) will get frustrated because they have to get the ball. They’ll make a dumb play.”
    Keansburg’s Danielle Ehrhardt scored 96 seconds into the game on a foul shot. It was Keansburg’s only lead of the night. Before the first quarter ended, Sweeney scored a couple of baskets, Molly Fitzpatrick dropped in a three-pointer and Stephanie Allison added a free throw.
    Over the next two quarters, the lead stayed about at the same place, with Florence up 15-9 at the half and 24-16 after three quarters.
    Keansburg’s Faith Flannery (16 points) kept her team within striking distance with several great individual offensive plays. With Keansburg down 30-25 with 2:23 to play, she even picked up a steal.
    When Keansburg was called for a foul while setting up its offense on that possession, the frustration started coming out. One player slammed the ball down and was given a technical foul.
    Florence’s style of play not only frustrated the Keansburg players, it also got the best of that team’s fans as well. With Florence willing to run off big chunks of time to set up for a good shot, the Keansburg crowd started a chant of “Boring! Boring!” several times during the game.
    When Florence finished off those possessions with baskets, the Florence crowd responded “not so boring!”
    Winning championships never are.
    Florence made sure it didn’t let that championship slip away at the free throw line, making 10 of 14 shots from there in the fourth quarter, including six of the last seven.
    After the game, Cipriano was talking about the different places in the world he had visited, all of the fun and exciting trips of his life. He then concluded “I would rather win a championship than do any of those things.”
    Florence reached the title game by getting past South Hunterdon, 49-45, in overtime this past Saturday afternoon.
    Florence had a 13-7 lead after the first quarter and 22-17 at the half. South Hunterdon, however, took the lead with a 14-4 run in the third quarter. Florence regrouped to tie the game and pull out the win in overtime.
    Sarah Muchowski had a couple of three-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points. No other Florence play scored in double figures, but this was a game in which every point mattered. Allison scored eight points, Fitzpatrick seven points, Sweeney six points, and Dezarae Fillmyer, Chakera Hightower and Talaya Loran added two points each.
    Coming into the tournament, Florence had lost its previous five playoff games. That streak came to an end as Florence defeated Highland Park, 48-41, in the CJ Group I quarterfinals on Thursday. Florence, the CJ Group I third seed, got a bye in the opening round.
    “That win lifted a weight off of our shoulders,” Sweeney said.
    The win over Highland Park was similar to the one over South Hunterdon. Florence jumped out to a 15-6 lead after the first quarter, but still needed to rally in the fourth. Florence trailed 31-30 entering the final eight minutes of play.
    While the girls on the team made all of the big shots, Cipriano was handing out assists to the Florence crowd after both of the first two wins.
    “We weren’t even pulling out all of the stands for our games (earlier in the season),” Cipriano said. “We had to for those two playoff games. The crowd was great. It’s nice to get that support.”
    Fitzpatrick (14 points), Muchowski (11 points) and Allison (10 points) gave the crowd a reason to cheer.
    “After losing in the first round the past five years, I would have been happy if we had won one playoff game,” Cipriano said. “We got three. That’s even better (smiles).”
    Hey, this is Florence. One win — even one title — is never enough. Just look up at the walls in the gym.