Owls edged in CJ Group I finals
New Providence takes title by a single point

PLAINSBORO -- A defending champion will always have a target on its back when going for the title repeat. New Providence took 31 minutes and 50 seconds to hit Highland Park's bulls-eye.

The second-seeded Highland Park High School girls basketball team (16-9) came one basket short of earning consecutive titles last Monday, surrendering the NJSIAA/ShopRite Central Jersey Group I final 41-40 to top-seeded New Providence.

New Providence (21-4) freshman Kaitlyn Cresencia's lefty scoop-shot banker with 9.9 seconds left gave the Pioneers the dramatic victory and their first sectional title in 23 years. Junior Shelly Montagna's game-high 22 points and six three-pointers were decisive in the final margin.

Boyd, Summers team for 31

The Owls were led by senior Justine Boyd's 18 points and 9 rebounds. Boyd, who had 10 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, hit a leaner in the lane with 22 seconds remaining to give HP a 40-39 lead. Freshman Jocelyn Summers added 13 points, five assists and four steals in defeat.

"Everyone on this team left it all on the court tonight," third-year head coach Glen Kertes said. "There's nothing to hang heads about. They proved they could play with the best in their group and came close to pulling it out."

Ever since HPHS finished the 2005-2006 season with a record of 0-20, Kertes has led the Owls to a 34-18 record, a 2007 sectional championship and the 2008 sectional finals.

The game was marked by twelve lead changes, the last from Cresencia's lay-in on a possession that started with 15.2 seconds on the clock. After a Kertes timeout, the Owls got the ball inside to Boyd. She had two chances blocked by freshman Laura Gregory before the clock reached triple-zeros.

"Do I think she got fouled," Kertes said in immediate post-game remarks. "It's not my position or job to decide or comment on that. The play is behind us now."

Started close, stayed close

The two squads combined for 30 points in the fourth quarter, after the first three stanzas had seen a total of only 51 points on the scoreboard. The game was razor-close throughout, with a deadlock at 19 at the half, and New Providence taking a 26-25 advantage into the final session.

The slower pace favored the Pioneers, who had grabbed their semifinal win over Keyport with a modest 39-30 triumph. The Owls had disposed of the Middlesex Blue Jays in a higher-scoring 58-51 affair on Saturday.

"Both teams came out very tense," Kertes said. "In the fourth quarter, the crowd really got into it and the kids fed off of that. You have to give a lot of credit to New Providence. They executed in the last minute and finished strong."

Trailing 41-40 with 9.9 seconds left, HP had to go the length of the court following a Kertes timeout but an entry feed to a wide-open Boyd was smacked out of bounds under the basket by a trailing Montagna with 4.4 seconds on the clock.

The Owls turned to the inbounds feed that had worked all night, as Summers lobbed the ball up for a high-jumping Boyd who corralled the pass and had her two attempts turned back.

"They ran the play exactly the way I wanted it," Kertes said. "Justine [Boyd] attacked the basket like I told her to in the second half and the rest of the play broke down after that."

In addition to Boyd and Summers garnering 31 of Highland Park's 40 points, freshman Ariel Brown added four, while seniors Clara Younge and Ania Underwood tallied three and two respectively. Senior Rachel McClelland, junior Alyssa Hudgins and sophomore Leah Salkin saw time as well and made valuable defensive contributions.

After two Central Jersey Group I championship games in his three seasons, Kertes acknowledges that it was a luxury to get his younger players the opportunity to experience a postseason environment and title run.

"This definitely helped season a young point guard like Jocelyn [Summers]," Kertes said. "The emergence of Ariel Brown was also an added bonus and it's really something to look forward to."

The Owls trailed 31-29 with 5:16 remaining in the game before Summers ripped off five straight points on a trey and floater to give HP their biggest lead at 34-31.

A season to be proud of

Highland Park finishes the year at 16-9, falling two wins short of last year's 18-9 mark that brought the Owls into the state Group I Central-South game. Kertes took a look back at the season and spoke about what's in store for the future of his program.

"You look at this season and you can't base it on one game," Kertes said. "We came out in our opener and got beat badly by Bishop Ahr but this group would not be discouraged."

"They had so much heart as a team and that will to win made them successful and brought them all the way back to the sectional final," he added. "That's what we have to look forward to down the road."