Gov. Livingston (36) at Cranford (27)

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/9175140290324228156/gov-livingston-36-at-cranford-27-union-county-tournament-semifinal-round-girls-basketball/

Gov. Livingston (36) at Cranford (27), Union County Tournament, Semifinal Round - Girls Basketball

Star-Ledger, February 18, 2013 11:18 p.m.

By Carolyn Freundlich
Kerri Moran walked back into the Rahway High gymnasium, looked up at the halftime scoreboard - her team was trailing by seven - and hung her head.
Her coaches told her "Wake up."
“We weren’t making our shots,” said Moran, a senior point guard and Oak Knoll’s all-time leading scorer. “They told us to pick it up and talked about getting easy buckets in transition.”
Oak Knoll switched its defensive scheme to man and began converting on fast breaks. Moran also dished out six assists and scored four of her 10 points, Catherine Bonner hit for 11 of her team-high 13 points and Monica Fritz and Catherine Bonner each recorded eight points over the second half when eighth-seeded Oak Knoll came from behind for a 46-42 victory over fifth-seeded Linden in the Union County Tournament semifinals last night in Rahway.
"It definitely was a team effort and hustle in general," Fritz, who finished with 10 points, said. "It was all about heart in this game. Both teams really wanted it. They just got tired in the end and we kept pushing."
Oak Knoll saw its deficit reach nine points, 33-24, entering the fourth quarter, but dug its way out to advance to its first UCT final since 1998, when it made its only appearance in a county championship game. The Summit school has never taken the title, but it will get its chance when it meets third-seeded Gov. Livingston on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Kean University in Union.
Gov. Livingston, the defending champion, earned a return trip to the final with a 36-27 victory over rival Cranford, the second seed, in the first of the semifinal games at Rahway.
While Oak Knoll began to pick up tempo in the third quarter, Linden's Jada Lewis and Destiny Jenkins were still hard to contain, scoring five and three points, respectively, to extended the team's 22-15 halftime lead to nine behind an 11-9 third quarter. Lewis finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Kaejah Hall added seven points and seven rebounds.
In the fourth, Oak Knoll was pure hustle. It went on a 10-0 run at the start of the quarter to take its first lead of the game at 38-35 with 3:22 to go. In the run, Bonner and Fritz each had four points, Moran had an assist and a two-point bucket, McAloon had two assists and Julia Wanfried contributed a field goal. Linden tied the game at 42-42 on a free throw by Keajah Hall, but Oak Knoll closed the game with a 4-0 spurt.
While Oak Knoll rallied to victory, Gov. Livingston was quick to take a lead and never relinquished it against Cranford.
Gov. Livingston played suffocating defense, running a box-and-one with Sara Dilly blanketing Cranford standout Jessica McCoy. The senior point guard was held to just two points over the first half as Gov. Livingston moved to a 20-8 lead at the break.
Mallory George and Erin Ferguson dominated the paint for Gov. Livingston. George finished with 13 points and four rebounds, while Ferguson totaled 14 points and nine rebounds in the victory.
“We all came out with a lot of energy and confidence, we all knew we could do it, everyone stepped up and we all played to our strengths,” George said.
Gov. Livingston was quick to open up 20-8 tear by the break, with George scoring eight points, Ferguson added six and Alyssa Cranston four during that run. Gov. Livingston’s defense continued to key the team for the remainder of regulation.
George and Ferguson outplayed Cranford off the glass and denied any second chances. Offensively, Gov. Livingston was too quick, powerful and possessed too many offensive weapons for Cranford to contain.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/game/score/1630250/

Gov. Livingston (36) at Cranford (27), Union County Tournament, Semifinal Round
Final	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
Gov. Livingston	11	9	6	10	36
Cranford	6	2	9	10	27

Player Stats
Gov. Livingston - Game stats
Player	FG	3FG	FT	Reb	A	S	Blk	Pts
Alyssa Cranston	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	8
Sara Dilly	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Erin Ferguson	6	0	2	0	0	0	0	14
Mallory George	5	0	3	0	0	0	0	13

Player Stats
Cranford - Game stats
Player	FG	3FG	FT	Reb	A	S	Blk	Pts
Jenna Goeller	0	0	2	4	1	1	0	2
Carly Maucione	1	1	2	5	0	0	0	7
Jessica McCoy	2	0	8	5	0	2	2	12
Kaitlin McGovern	3	0	0	4	1	1	1	6
Mairead McKeary	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Kerry Wischesun	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0