Several Union County basketball teams turned in outstanding performances over the holiday week.
Here’s a look:
BOYS’
Union – The Farmers enter January 4-1 after going 2-1 in the Jack Kuhnert Tournament in Freehold. Junior guard Aishon White scored 15 points in a 66-50 win over Howell.
Elizabeth – The Minutemen captured the Holiday Jubilee Classic at Neptune, defeating Lakewood 73-56, Neptune 78-65 and Seton Hall Prep 77-68. Latif Rivers earned MVP honors after scoring 24 points against the Pirates in the title game.
St. Patrick’s – The Celtics improved to 5-1 after winning three games in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC. Derrick Gordon scored 12 points and Michael Gilchrist 11 in a 52-31 win over Pennsbury, Pa., which was 5-0.
St. Mary’s – The Hilltoppers – now 2-1 - were edged by Red Bank Catholic 68-64 in the Al Lo Balbo Memorial Classic final at St. Mary’s. Mudia Osemwegie paced St. Mary’s with a 24-point effort.
Dayton – The Bulldogs captured the Pepe Levee Tournament at Dayton in Springfield by beating Kearny Christian 71-45 and Port Richmond of Staten Island 44-29. Justin Grant netted 11 points and Elliot Karp 10 in the win over Port Richmond. Dayton enters January 3-1 and on a three-game winning streak.
Brearley – The Bears fell to Governor Livingsotn 53-47 in the Brearley Bears Tournament final in Kenilworth. Brearley – now 2-1 – beat Pingry 38-36 in first round play. Junior forward Dominick Vitale scored 23 points and senior guard Shadee Daniels 13 in the setback to GL.
Governor Livingston – The Highlanders repeated as Brearley Bears Tournament champions, beating Highland Park 61-51 and Brearley 53-47. Junior forward Rob Ingebretsen was selected MVP, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds vs. Highland Park and adding 12 points and several rebounds and blocked shots against Brearley. Junior shooting guard Mike Rielly scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers in the win over the host Bears. Senior point guard Hoddy Mahon scored 14 points, including 11 free throws, vs. Brearley.
Plainfield – The Cardinals fell to Bishop Loughlin, N.Y. 77-59 in the Jingle Bells Jubilee final at Paterson Catholic. Plainfield, which begins January at 4-0, received a 30-point effort from senior point guard Anthony Baskerville in an 85-72 overtime win over Paterson Kennedy. The Cardinals won the extra session by a 22-9 margin.
Linden – The Tigers went 2-1 in the Jingle Bells Jubilee at Paterson Catholic, falling to Bishop Loughlin 46-42. Linden defeated Passaic 51-38 and Paterson Kennedy 46-31. Senior forward David Bruce earned All-Tournament honors and scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win over PK. He had 22 points and 14 rebounds vs. Passaic and 14 points against Bishop Loughlin. Tevin Calhoun netted 16 points vs. Bishop Loughlin and 14 against PK. Senior forward Romell Bateman scored a season-high 12 points and grabbed 21 boards in the win over PK.
Rahway – The Indians went 2-1 in the Butch Kowal Games at Rahway, defeating South Plainfield 72-52 and Scotch Plains 57-55. In between, the Indians fell to eventual champion Colonia 58-51. Senior guard Jose Pena-Benjamin scored 58 points in the three games, including 24 vs. Colonia.
Roselle – The Rams fell to 2-1 after falling to Red Bank 59-49 in the Buc Holiday Classic in Little Silver. They were supposed to play Allentown on Dec. 29 in its next tournament game. Roselle began the season with Mountain Valley Conference-Mountain Division victories over Roselle Catholic 43-35 on the road and vs. Cranford 56-49 at home. Senior guard Anthony Obery netted 15 points vs. RC and 14 against Cranford. Senior forward Kendall James paced Roselle with an 11-point effort vs. Red Bank, while teammate Terrance Childs added nine points and five rebounds.
Johnson and Cranford – both teams were defeated in the championship games of the tournaments they played in and will begin January at 1-2. Johnson lost to Metuchen 68-65 in the Roselle Park Tournament final after beating Ranney 76-37 in first round play. Greg Baker netted 16 points vs. Ranney. Cranford defeated Dunellen 44-32 and then lost to Middlesex 50-39 in the Middlesex Tournament. Freshman Chris Gross scored a team-high 13 points and had five rebounds in the win over Dunellen. Senior guard Adam Fanelli netted a team-high eight points vs. Middlesex.
Westfield – The Blue Devils enter January with a 2-1 record after winning two of three games in the Butch Kowal Tournament in Rahway. After falling to eventual champion Colonia 54-42, Westfield rebounded with victories over South Plainfield 59-51 and Summit 60-36. Senior Tony DiIorio scored 28 points vs. South Plainfield, while Mike Lessner paced the Blue Devils with a 17-point performance against Summit.
Union Catholic – The Vikings are 2-2 after falling to Red Bank Catholicc and Morristown-Beard in the Al LoBalbo Memorial Classic at St. Mary’s. Brian Flores scored 20 points and sophomore center Mike Marciano six in their team’s 58-42 setback to Morristown-Beard.
New Providence – The Pioneers are 4-1 after downing Chatham 61-55 in overtime in the Cougar Classic at Chatham. Senior forward Marc Iacovelli had 18 points and six rebounds, while junior guard Steve Vigilante netted 16 points. New Providence also defeated Morristown 54-46 and lost to Millburn 53-32 in Cougar Classic competition.
GIRLS’
Elizabeth – The Minutemen begin January with a 3-1 record and a three-game winning streak after capturing the Gene Haley Tournament at Iselin Kennedy in Middlesex County. In the championship game win over Edison 57-51, junior forward Shan-Tasia Padgett had 12 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. Senior guard Tasza Carter poured in a team-high 18 points, dished out five assists and came up with five steals. Emana Dent added 12 points. Elizabeth downed Iselin Kennedy 52-15 in its first round game, with Carter scoring 23 and Padgett 12.
Hillside – The Comets begin January 2-2 after going 1-2 in the Cougar Classic at Chatham – also known as the Make A Wish Tournament. Jenaya Abernathy poured in 23 points and Jameka Parson added seven in a 51-48 win over Jefferson. Aika Emmanuel netted 10 points in a 53-29 setback to Morristown. Parsons had a team-high 22 points in a 64-43 loss to Chatham.
Dayton – Like the boys’ team, the Bulldogs are 3-1 and winners of three straight heading into the New Year. Dayton defeated North 13th St. Tech 70-38 to win the Pepe Levee Tournament at Dayton. Senior center Jacqueline Kuczynski, who will continue at Boston University – scored a game-high 24 points to give her 1,689 lifetime. She is now just 16 points away from breaking the school record – for both boys’ and girls’ - of 1,704 points set by Michelle Saunders in 1995. Kuczynski has netted 84 points in four games so far. Dayton’s next game is home against Roselle Park (2-2) on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. in Springfield in Mountain Valley Conference-Valley Division play. Also in the win over North 13th Street Tech, freshman guard Jen Kuczynski scored 12 points and Casey Kennedy 10. Jaq Kuczynski scored 26 in her team’s 40-25 win over Mount St. Mary.
Roselle Park – The Panthers are 2-2 after beating Belleville 49-32 and losing to repeat champion Hanover Park 61-21 in the Roselle Park Tournament. Gabby Clauer netted a team-high 18 points, while Lauren Corigliano added 11 and Liridona Gocaj 10 in the win over Belleville. Jessica Johns scored nine points vs. Hanover Park.
Brearley – The Bears went 1-1 in their Lady Bears Tournament to begin January at 1-3. In a 49-32 win over Henry Hudson, senior Hannah LoBello scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Sami Hoag scored a team-high 20 points, dished out six assists and came up with five steals. LoBello scored 15 points and hauled in 14 boards in her team’s 51-35 setback to Union Catholic in the final. LoBello has now passed 1,000 rebounds for her standout career.
Governor Livingston – The Highlanders begin January at 2-1 after beating Millburn 54-36 in the consolation game of the Millburn Tournament. Freshman guard Alyssa Polimeni paced GL with a 16-point effort, while senior forward Alyssa Dilly added 10 points and Amanda Quaglia eight. Dilly scored 11 points and Polimeni 10 in a thrilling 38-34 overtime setback to New Providence in first round Millburn Tournament play.
Cranford – The Cougars defeated Livingston 45-12 in the Nutley Tournament third place game, winning for the first time this year in three tries. Jamie Webb paced 10 scorers with a 10-point performance.
Roselle Catholic – Arguably the team to beat in the Mountain Division of the Mountain Valley Conference this season, the Lions begin January at 4-0 after winning both of their RC Holiday Tournament contests. Junior guard Allison Skrec scored a game-high 19 points and junior forward Meghan Faughnan had 13 points and eight rebounds in a 55-38 win over North Brunswick. Jenny Malone added eight points and Melissa Tobie seven. In a 45-40 win over Voorhees, Faughnan had 18 points, Malone nine and Kelly Hayes played solid defense. Skrec earned MVP honors after scoring 13 points and dishing out six assists. Voorhees was 3-0.
Linden – The Tigers improved to 2-0 by beating Sussex Central, Del. 36-33 in a Diamond State Classic contest in Wilmington, Del. Linden won the fourth quarter 15-8 in posting a come-from-behind victory. Senior guard Ondya Morgan paced the Tigers with 13 points, while sophomore Ebony Jennings and senior Courtney Melchionna each had eight and Shannon Wheeler seven.
Roselle – The Rams fell to Voorhees 46-27 and to North Brunswick 45-36 in the RC Holiday Tournament. Jakoya Duggans netted a game-high 16 points vs. Voorhees, while sophomore guard Bianca Partlow paced the Rams with a 15-point performance against North Brunswick. In Roselle’s 49-30 win at Cranford, Duggans poured in a game-high 21 points and added seven steals, five rebounds and four assists. Partlow netted 16 points and added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Rahway – The Indians defeated Henry Hudson 45-30 for their first win of the season and are now 1-3. Al-Nisha Fish, Maureen Morris and Asia Huey each scored nine points.
Plainfield – The Cardinals begin January at 3-3 after going 1-2 in the Eastern States Invitational at Trenton Catholic. Chanel Johnson scored 12 points in a 62-46 setback to Peddie and then poured in 27 in a 55-36 win over East Orange. Johnson had 19, Nicole Blackmon 12, Courtney Woodard nine and Imani Cox eight in a 60-54 loss to Trenton Catholic.
New Providence – The defending MVC-Valley Division champion Pioneers begin January with a Union County-best record of 5-0 after winning the Millburn Tournament. New Providence defeated GL 38-34 in overtime behind a 17-point performance from sophomore forward Kaitlyn Cresencia and then downed North Plainfield 46-32 in the final. Cresencia came up big again for the Pioneers against North Plainfield, scoring a game-high 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds, coming up with five steals and dishing out three assists. Junior forward Nan Tucker added 13 points, senior shooting guard Shelly Montagna 12 and Connie Haggerty two.
Westfield – The Blue Devils are 3-2 after going 2-1 in the Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge. Westfield defeated Randolph 54-53 and Ridge 36-33 before falling to Middletown South 39-30. Senior guard Tara Handza had 19 points, three steals and four assists vs. Randolph, while Diana Venezia had 23 points and seven rebounds, Keri Pringle four points and 11 boards and Amanda Markowski four points. Handza had 12 points, five rebounds and four steals in the winw over Ridge, while Venezia also scored 12 points and Martina Landeka six. Handza scored nine points, Pringle seven and Sara Nelson six against Middletown South.
Scotch Plains – The Raiders won the fifth place game of their KSA Tournament bracket in Orlando, Fla., downing Vestavia, Ala. 47-25. Senior center Kaylin Jaichon posted her third consecutive double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior forward Jackie Law had nine points, 12 rebounds, fouru assists, three steals and two blocks, while Laura Degnan added 10 points. Scotch Plains also lost to Redmond, Wash. 56-51 in overtime and defeated Rockledge, Fla. 65-51.
Union Catholic – The Vikings improved to 2-1 after winning the Lady Bears Tournament at Brearley in Kenilworth. UC defeated Rahway 54-46 and then Brearley 51-35 behind MVP Shannon Deegan’s team-high 13 points. Jasmine Serano added 11 points and Alex Evans eight.
Oak Knoll – The Royals begin January at 4-0 after capturing the Ernie Vajda Tournament at Wardlaw-Hartridge in North Edison. Catie Mota poured in a game-high 16 points in her team’s 41-24 win over Highland Park and then scored 18, grabbed eight rebounds and came up with six steals in a 52-35 triumph over Wardlaw-Hartridge. Mota earned MVP honors. Kerry Kennedy scored 15 points in the Brearley victory.
Summit – The Hilltoppers enter January at 3-0 and may be the team to beat in the Hills Division of the Iron Hills Conference. After opening with a convincing 49-31 home conference win over Mendham, Summit downed Kittatinny 60-29 and Hackettstown 58-26 in the Holiday Hoopla Tournament at Hackettstown. Tournament MVP Alex Reid scored 11 points against Kittatinny and 16 vs. Hackettstown. Jenna Wilson scored 12 vs. Kittatinny and Emily Cristaldi 12 and grabbed eight rebounds vs. Hackettstown. Cassiday Hall scored 10 points and Kate Martino nine vs. Kittatinny.
Johnson – The Crusaders evened their record at 2-2 and snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Belleville 52-12 in the Roselle Park Tournament third-place game. Junior forward Gina Trani paced 10 Johnson scorers with a 15-point effort. Sophomore guard Kristy Pflug scored a team-high 10 points in Johnson’s 38-32 setback to eventual repeat champion Hanover Park.
Benedictine – Benedictine’s first win was a 45-18 triumph over St. Mary’s of Elizabeth in a first round Rose Battaglia Tournament contest at Benedictine. The host team then fell to Metuchen 47-32 to fall to 1-2. In the win over St. Mary’s, freshman guard Dynesha Frazier-Champagne scored a game-high 23 points and added eight rebounds and five steals. Haneah Jackson scored eight points, grabbed 11 boards and came up with five steals. Cynthia Robinson had six points and 22 rebounds.
MOUTAIN VALLEY CONFERENCE
Mountain Division - Roselle Catholic appears to be the top team.
Valley Division – Defending champion New Providence is the top team.
WATCHUNG CONFERENCE
The top Union County teams are Elizabeth, Linden, Westfield, Scotch Plains and Plainfield.
