Defense Proves Key: Chatham HS Girls Hoops Overcomes Cranford to Capture Sectional Title; Kreuzer Scores 19

Early is the season, Chatham High School (N.J.) Girl’s basketball team routed Cranford, 66-31, at the Cougar Classic in December.

But Cranford (15-12) proved to be different this time out, as it jumped all over No. 1 Chatham for a 13-5 first quarter lead.

However, Chatham (30-2) leaned on its stellar defense, while the offense slowly chipped away at Cranford’s advantage, eventually permitting it to walk away with a 41-33 victory in the end in the finals of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Girl’s basketball Tournament.

It is Chatham’s third sectional title in four years.

Chatham head coach did not over concern himself with his team missing shots early on, as he said his players were in place to score. The shots were just not falling.

But he noted that he believed his defense would rise up and ultimately come through, which it did.

“They were panicking a little,” Gaba said. “I actually told them, ‘Hey, listen, I am not concerned.’ Because we were actually getting the shots and executing. We had wide open looks on offense and weren’t making them.

“I told them to be patient, stay the course, and our defense will get us through this game. And they did. From the end of the first quarter on, (they) got us through that game.”

Senior Arden Alvarez sliced the deficit to 13-9 with 5:34 left in the second period. Then senior Ella Kreuzer and Alvarez combined for six points to help Chatham surge ahead, 15-13, by the end of the first half.

But senior Bella Curanovic gave Cranford a 16-15 lead with by drilling big three-pointer early in the third quarter.

Junior Grace Cloud answered by nailing a three-pointer of her own to give Chatham the two-point advantage.

Both squads trading leads until Kreuzer sank four from the charity stripe, Alvarez hit one from beyond the arc, and senior McKenna Hogan converted a basket to close out the third up by five points.

Cranford cut the margin to two points with 1:35 remaining in the tilt.

But Semoli knocked down one of two from the foul line to put Chatham up, 34-31, with 1:25 remaining in the contest.

Junior Ava Paone sank another free throw, for a 35-31 Chatham advantage with 1:14 to go in the game. Then, true to form, its tenacious defense caused a turnover.

Chatham went on to convert six of six foul shots down the stretch to secure the victory.

Kreuzer led Chatham with 19 points, while Semoli had seven points. Paone and Alvarez dropped in five points apiece.

But it was the star senior guard and the rest of the Chatham defense that solved the riddle of Cranford’s star player and rest of its offense that turned the tide of the affair in favor of the home team.

“We had to set up our defense because that was the only thing keeping us in the game,” Krueuzer said. “Once we figured out how to guard Bella, the whole defense was closing out on shooters, and they couldn’t get much on offense.”

Curanovic scored a game-high 21 points.

The Cougars advance to the semifinals of the Group 3 State Championship Tournament against Morris Knolls next week.

— Jerry Del Priore