Randolph, Chatham, Montville, Morris Catholic move into MCT girls basketball semis
DENVILLE ‒ Aliyah Lambo had high expectations when she took the court with her Randolph teammates for a Morris County Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday. The Rams had been building toward games like this all winter, and even in past seasons.
It was that chemistry which helped propel Randolph past Madison, 44-42, and into a MCT semifinal.
The Rams will face defending champion and top seed Morris Catholic in a semifinal on Friday at County College of Morris. The Crusaders defeated Pequannock, 94-41, in the last of Saturday’s four quarterfinals.
"Our team chemistry is a really big factor in us doing well: communication on and off the court," said Lambo, who had 11 points and nine rebounds. "The drive for everyone wanting to win, we want to make sure we're OK."
No. 4 Randolph thrived in an up-tempo game, scoring in transition. Both Lambo and senior Sydney Jenisch were the beneficiary of open layups off long lead passes. Sydney Jenisch finished with 10 points and three assists. Her twin sister Madison Jenisch had 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Despite what coach Lisa DiTuro described as "uncharacteristic defensive errors" in the first half, the Dodgers scored 16 fourth-quarter points ‒ and turned up the defense. No. 5 Madison went on a 10-0 run, holding Randolph scoreless for two minutes and 37 seconds.
Senior Alex Reigle powered the Dodgers' comeback, scoring seven of the team's eight third-quarter points. Reigle had a game-high 17 points before fouling out with 1:30 to play. Sophomore Gabby Mariani added five of her seven in the fourth.
"We can't wait that long to start playing," DiTuro said. "I was proud of them for coming back. It would've been nice to put a whole game together."
Turning it up in tournament time
The Chatham girls basketball team has had a simple mantra: February is tournament time.
The Cougars' challenging schedule has all led up to this month and these moments, like a 52-23 victory against Hanover Park in the first Morris County Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday afternoon.
No. 3 Chatham is heading back to County College of Morris for a MCT semifinal against second-seeded Montville on Friday night. The Mustangs defeated Jefferson, 41-21, in the second of Saturday's quarterfinals.
"We're playing really hard teams this season, all in preparation for this," said Chatham sophomore McKenna Hogan, who scored 13 points in the second and third quarters, including three 3-pointers.
"We're all more excited for the tournaments and ready to get started."
Girls basketball: 2023 Morris County Tournament bracket, scores, schedule
The 11th-seeded Hornets edged No. 6 Morristown, 40-38 in overtime in the second round on Thursday night. Though thrilled to move on to a quarterfinal, they were unable to step up against young but balanced Chatham.
The Cougars ran away in the second quarter, holding Hanover Park scoreless until junior Samantha Cicerone's layup with 2:46 left. Hogan had seven points as Chatham built a 29-9 halftime lead.
Cougars sophomore Ella Kreuzer led all scorers with 14 points. Junior Gina LaGravenis led Hanover Park with six points. Senior Alyssa Alfano added four.
"Nobody expected anything out of these girls except our inner circle," longtime Hornets coach Doug Wear said. "They showed Morris County what we're able to do. ... Unfortunately, on a bigger stage, we weren't able to sustain that momentum."
Veteran Montville dancing into semi
Carey Werheim, Grace Kowalski and Katie Gorski were all freshmen on varsity when Montville won the MCT title. Now, those three seniors are hoping to propel the Mustangs back to the top of the county heap.
Werheim, Gorski and sophomore transfer Juliana O'Dowd took a few minutes after Montville's quarterfinal victory to try a Tiktok dance. Their moves on the court were far smoother.
Werheim led all scorers with 13 points, plus five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kowalski added 11, leaving her 39 points short of 1,000 for her career.
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Jefferson junior Emily Poulas had nine points in Saturday's quarterfinal, including four fourth-quarter free throws.
"It feels really refreshing with this team," Werheim said. "We've been together for a while. We're all gelling really well. You can see it on the court too, how we work well together."
Crusaders feast on home cooking
Morris Catholic handled the MCT quarterfinal just like any other game. The players met for a pre-game film session before riding the bus over to Morris Knolls.
The Crusaders have been playing what coach Billy Lovett called a "national schedule," against teams from seven states – including New Jersey. And they've dismantled most of those opponents, including Pequannock in a NJAC-Liberty game on Jan. 10.
Morris Catholic senior Natalie Stoupakis and sophomore Daniella Matus scored 18 points apiece, all in the first three quarters on Saturday. Senior Faith Tucker led Pequannock with 15 points. Senior Nicole Klimek added 10.
"We're going to make the other teams play up to our level," Lovett said. "We focus on these teams the way we focus on those nationally ranked teams. We come out and play as hard as we would play anyone else."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ girls basketball: Morris County Tournament quarterfinals
