March 1, 2012

Kaycee de Voogd (r) blocks an Ariana Simon shot. It was one of 11 blocks New Providence had. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

New Providence at Secaucus Girls Basketball Photo Gallery

SECAUCUS – With little to no size on its roster Secaucus has had to rely heavily upon perimeter shooting and capitalizing off turnovers on offense this season. The formula worked to the tune of 23 wins.

But on a night when a strong outside shooting game was imperative, the shots which had fallen most of the season did not.

The Patriots endured a nightmarish shooting game, going just 3-of-19 from 3-point range, as they fell to two-time defending Group 1 champion New Providence 49-36 last night in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North 2, Group 1 tournament.

"You hope you shoot consistently, but you’re going to have nights like this," head coach John Sterling said. "It can’t come when you’re playing a bigger team where you don’t get easy points. We got no easy points.

"That’s probably the worst shooting night we’ve had all season and we’ve been pretty good shooters. You credit the defense when you’re shooting like that."

Things looked promising at the start for the third-seeded Patriots (23-5) when Andie Lennon opened with a steal and transition layup just 20 seconds in to the game. It turned out to be the last basket Secaucus would have for nine minutes.

New Providence's size advantage and patience on defense became painfully evident as the host team missed 12-straight shots during the stretch, four of them on Pioneer blocks.

"We knew we had to stop them from shooting 3-point shots," said New Providence head coach Cap Pazdera.  "We knew we were outmatched in quickness so we knew if we could contain Andie at the point and (Julia) McClure off the dribble, we might be able to give them fits since they’re not really a post up team."

McClure would halt the scoring drought with 6:46 left in the first half, but by then the 11th-seeded Pioneers (15-10) had raced out to a 14-4 lead and took a 27-14 advantage into the intermission.

Secaucus would rediscover its offensive mojo in the third quarter with a 12-3 run to open the period. McClure had an old-fashioned 3-point play, followed by a long-range 3-pointer from Lennon. McClure, who had seven points in the run, cut the deficit down to just four when she scored off an Alyssa Lyngholm pass with 1:47 left in the third.

"We knew it was coming," said Pazdera about the Secaucus rally. "We told them in the locker room ‘look, they’re going to make a run. They’re 3-point shooters, they’re quick, they’re good players.’ We told them just handle the run and stay together, don’t break apart."

Instead of breaking apart, New Providence rallied. Sara Lowenstein took an inbounds pass with 2.7 second left in the third, sidestepped a defender and drained a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to make it 34-27 into the fourth quarter.

Lowenstein's buzzer-beater was the start of a 17-0 run as the Pioneers scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter to put the game away and punch their ticket to the semifinals where they will face Arts of Newark.

"It was phenomenal," Pazdera said. "With that shot the momentum completely changed back to our favor."

Cassandra Squeri scored six of her team-high 14 points in the six-minute run. Emma Culleton (eight points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six blocks) and Kaycee de Voogd (11 points, 12 rebounds) chipped in with four points apiece during the stretch.

McClure had 15 points and eight rebounds to pace Secaucus. Lennon, who set the school's single-season 3-point record in the game, finished with nine points and five steals. The two freshemen highlight a group of four starters and seven rotation players that return for next season.

"We ended up 23-5 so there’s been a lot of days or evenings when we left here laughing or happy. But you learn more about yourself individually and as a team when you lose games," Sterling said. "We did a lot of great things. I think we’re only going to get better over the next couple of years."

Secaucus forward Julia McClure finished with a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

New Providence at Secaucus Girls Basketball Photo Gallery