Girls Basketball: North Plainfield continues hot start with Christmas Tournament semifinal win
NORTH PLAINFIELD – Across the street from North Plainfield High School Tuesday major renovations to Krausche Field continued. Inside the gymnasium the ongoing rebuild of the Canucks’ girls basketball program proceeded with a winning result.
North Plainfield survived Imani Mullin’s late three-pointer that forced overtime to beat Plainfield 56-52 in the North Plainfield Christmas Tournament. The Canucks will play the Snyder-New Brunswick winner at 1 p.m. Thursday in the final.
North Plainfield is 4-1 overall, 3-1 in its first year in the Greater Middlesex Conference, playing in the conference’s White Division. Plainfield is 0-4 overall, 0-3 in Union County Conference play.
Both teams had a lot to be encouraged with by their play. Both led at different times, but rallied to keep even. The Canucks outscored the Cardinals 10-6 in overtime to seal it.
“They are always on the attack, it’s really awesome, our motto is ‘rtf’ ‘run the floor,’” North Plainfield coach Derrick Eatman said. “They run every day, so it (overtime) was just like practice for them – they didn’t stop,”
Freshman guard Kaelyn Hester scored seven of her 11 points in overtime to spark the victory. Freshman point guard Layla Gutierrez pushed the pace throughout, scoring nine points with several assists.
“She (Hester) plays really hard. We’ve kind of been waiting on her,” Eatman said. “We are young, very young. It was great to see those two freshmen step up.”
Senior guard Yasmen Zafar, who led the team in scoring last season, scored 10 points with two first quarter three-pointers. Mullins finished with 10 points and Haszah Ward led the Cardinals with 11.
North Plainfield was without sophomore guard Nyla Felton, out with an injury. She was second to Zafar in scoring last season when the Canucks were 8-15, their 15th straight losing season.
Assistant coach Pat Adams was one those on Eatman’s staff influential in the team’s involvement in the fall league. The players feel it’s a big reason for the fast start.
“We have been operating off energy,” said Eatman, also coach of the Canucks’ football team. “We have a lot of young talent, the girls love to run the floor. They’re having a great time. I think the camaraderie really started in the fall. We really realized we really do have a good thing here.”
Eatman, a South Plainfield native, was an assistant girls coach at Perth Amboy last year. The White Division is made up of Perth Amboy, perennial winner Middlesex and Edison, JFK-Iselin, J.P. Stevens, Sayreville, South Plainfield and Woodbridge.
“It’s been awhile since we have won and we know it,” said Eatman. “I came in and created that awareness for the players. Sometimes you need to know. They have bought in. They are totally against what has happened in the past. They want to make this the new norm.”
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Girls Basketball: North Plainfield continues hot start in rebuild
