March
12, 2003
March 21,
 |
| Eastside's Essence Carson (left) defending North Bergen's Betty Mendieta. |
SECAUCUS - When Paterson Eastside's Essence Carson wants to make something happen on the basketball court there is little and opponent can do to stop her. From scoring and rebounding, to blocking shots and making steals, Carson can do it all.
In the third quarter of the Ghosts' NJSIAA North 1, Group 4 sectional final against top-seeded North Bergen on Tuesday night, Carson did everything, literally, including hitting a step-back 3-pointer to end what was an extraordinary period of play.
Carson scored 10 points, had five steals, three rebounds and two assists in the third to turn a two-point halftime deficit into an 11-point lead, putting second-seeded Eastside well on its way to a 54-36 victory and a second straight sectional crown.
Eastside will play the winner of East Orange-Barringer in the Group 4 semifinals at Montclair High School on Thursday night at 8:00 pm.
"We had a tough time in the first half as a team," said Carson. "And we came in the second half with a lot of intensity."
The junior phenom finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, eight steals, six blocks and three assists.
"She just took over the game in the third quarter," said Eastside coach Ed Black. "The steals, the jumpers…she really came up big today.
"This is one of the better games she has played, without a doubt."
The third quarter started with Carson making back-to-back steals and converting them into layups to put the Ghosts up 25-23. She then picked up another steal and fed Vinisha Mack on the break.
After another Carson dish she hit a gorgeous spinning drive in the lane and was fouled on the play. She knocked down the foul shot and then closed the quarter with a step-back three from the right side with a defender in her face to make the score 38-27 and basically put the game away.
"There's one word that explains it all and that's just 'hustle,'" Carson said of her third quarter. "You get out there and hustle and everything comes into place."
North Bergen (20-6) started the game with a bang, scoring more then half of its total points in the first quarter en route to a 19-13 lead. The Bruins balance showed as four of their five starters scored.
"We had a rhythm (in the first quarter)," said the North Bergen coach Dan Reardon. "We had a flow to the game. It's a senior team and I've seen them do that a lot of times so I wasn't surprised."
In the second quarter Carson began to assert herself and North Bergen began to wilt. The Bruins only managed four points and did not score for the final 2:47 of the half, missing the front ends of two one-and-ones.
Carson finished the first half by scoring six points in the final 3:52 to get the Ghosts to within 23-21 at the break.
"The bottom line is tempo," Black said. "We tried to make sure that they didn't play the tempo that they like to play."
North Bergen scored a total of just eight points in the second and third quarters combined, four in each, and went through a drought which lasted over eight minutes. The Bruins did not score a single point from 2:47 of the second to 1:54 of the third when senior Betty Mendieta hit two free throws.
"I think the tide turned in the third quarter," Reardon said. "We turned the ball over a few of times and it's a game of momentum and we couldn't get any momentum going in the second half."
Mack, Eastside's lone senior, finished with nine points and NaSheema Johnson added six. Mendieta scored 14 points to lead North Bergen.
"The state tournament is where big players play and big players come to play every game," Carson added. "I came to do that today."
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