Hawk girls make top seed stand up

Hawks top Knights to win
second consecutive GMC title
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Old Bridge’s Jaime Capra tries to steal the ball from J.P. Stevens’ Tania Kennedy during the Hawks’ GMCT win over Old Bridge at Rutgers University on Feb. 26.

NEW BRUNSWICK — The J.P. Stevens girls basketball team won its second consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference tournament with a 44-42 win over Old Bridge last week at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the Rutgers University campus.

The GMC tournament’s most outstanding player, junior guard Tania Kennedy, hit the winning shot on a driving layup with less than a minute to play to beat the Knights in the title game for the second straight year.

"Tania really rose to the occasion in the tournament," Stevens coach Andy Eng said. "She did all the things that good players do to win games. She also did a great job defending Cathy Rutter. She held Rutter to six points."

Rutter was an all-tournament team selection, scoring 19 in the semifinals before running into Kennedy’s defense. Kennedy led the Hawks with 23 points in the championship game and went 8-for-9 from the foul line.

Jessica Pruiti drives to the basket against J.P. Stevens’ Stephanie Marciano.

Before his team’s final possession, Eng instructed his girls to play for the last shot. With the score deadlocked at 42, it was his intention to keep the ball out of the hands of the Old Bridge players and either win or send the game to overtime.

"I told them we were going for the last shot," Eng said. "I told them, if they saw an opportunity for a layup, to take it. Tania hit the shot with 25 seconds on the clock, and they ran a final play with 12 seconds to go, but the shot rimmed out and we were champs for the second year in a row."

Old Bridge’s final play was designed for Jaime Capra to take the final shot, but the Hawks’ Lindsay James kept the ball out of her hands and the celebration was under way.

Capra was held scoreless for three quarters, but had a breakout third quarter with 20 points to give the Knights the lead heading into the final quarter. She was also selected to the all-tournament team.

"Amy Bonk stepped up big against Old Bridge," Eng said. "She scored eight crucial points in the first quarter and held Capra to no baskets for three quarters."

The Knights bounced back from their loss to Stevens with a 38-23 win over rival East Brunswick in the first round of the Central Jersey Group IV tournament on Monday.

Capra scored 19 points and added six rebounds, while Rutter added eight points and six rebounds to lead the Knights into the next round. Old Bridge’s defense was the difference in this one, as they held the Bears to just eight points in the first half, and shut them out in the third quarter, giving themselves a comfortable 30-8 lead heading into the final quarter.

With the win, Old Bridge advanced to the second round, where they were scheduled to take on second-seeded Hillsborough tomorrow night. Marlboro is the top seed in the bracket, but may take a hit due to a knee injury to their top gun and Shore Conference Player of the Year, Chakhia Cole. With Cole’s effectiveness in question, the bracket takes on a new, wide-open look, with teams like Old Bridge and Hillsborough, among others, entertaining serious thoughts of a sectional crown.

With the loss to Old Bridge, East Brunswick ended the season with a 10-14 mark.

Notes... The South River girls had their season come to a close on Monday as well, with a 71-54 loss to Bordentown in the first round of the Central Jersey Group II tournament. Cassandra Martinez and Tara Takac led the way for the Rams with 13 points each, while Christine Mongelli added 12. The Rams finished the year at 9-13.