January
12, 2007
ELMWOOD PARK – Holding a halftime lead is something the Elmwood Park girls basketball team has started to get accustomed throughout its successful season thus far. But closing out a game is still a concern for a program that had little success until last year. That was when point guard Chrystie Duran transferred in and gave the Crusaders the shot of adrenaline they needed.
Holding a three-point lead at the half against B-PSL foe Eastern Christian, the Eagles made a point of holding Chrystie Duran in check. Needing a spark, the Crusaders had to look elsewhere. Fortunately for head coach Artie Zilz, he did not even have to look outside of the Duran family to find it.
Laurie Duran gave the Crusaders a much-needed lift off the bench in the third quarter. She scored five points late in the period and Chrystie hit a three-pointer to start the fourth as Elmwood Park broke open a close contest and doubled up on Eastern Christian, 32-16.
“Laurie (Duran) came up big for us off the bench today,” said Elmwood Park head coach Artie Zilz. “She really was the sparkplug that got us back in the right direction. When she hits open shots, it opens up other things for us offensively. Eastern Christian is a defensive-minded team, so we had to be even more patient on offense to get the shots we wanted.”
A two-game winning streak seems modest to some teams, but to Eastern Christian it is a big deal. The Eagles were soaring high coming into this game after snapping a 36-game losing streak that spanned the past three seasons with consecutive victories over Pompton Lakes and Waldwick; and they played like it during the opening quarter.
The future looks bright for the Eagles as freshman Kelsey Spoelstra showed why she will be considered one of the league’s top players in the coming years. The diminutive point guard showed off her quickness and her ability to hit tough shots in the opening stanza. She hit her first three shots as Eastern Christian opened up an 8-4 lead three minutes in.
The Crusaders cracked down defensively and caused 11 first-half turnovers. But they were only able to convert a handful of them into points as they held a three-point lead at the break in a low-scoring first half, 11-8. The two teams combined to shoot an abysmal 9 of 48 during the first two quarters.
After Elmwood Park scored to open the second half, Randi Lynn Veenstra and Nicole Brello hit back-to-back 17-foot jumpers to cut the lead to one midway through the third period. Already a game back of Hawthorne and Glen Rock in the B-PSL King Division standings, a loss would have been a crushing blow to the Crusaders’ hopes of a league title. With that on the line, Laurie Duran checked into the game and single-handedly shifted the balance of power back to the side of the Crusaders.
She hit a baseline jumper to start the run, and scored on a putback at the buzzer to give Elmwood Park a 22-13 lead, which quickly jumped up to double-digits when her sister Chrystie nailed a three-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
“After I hit my first shot, I felt more comfortable in the offense and that helped me to relax,” said Laurie Duran. “I thought we played under control much better in the second half. We stepped it up on defense, which ended up helping us on offense.”
A pair of free throws by Spoelstra got the Eagles back to within nine with less than four minutes to play, but they did not get any closer. Laurie Duran and Gina Pettigano each hit three-pointers late to dash any hopes of an Eagles’ comeback.
The Duran sisters combined for 19 points for Elmwood Park (7-2). Laurie finished with a game-high 10 off the bench. Chrystie added nine to go along with five steals and four rebounds.
Spoelstra led Eastern Christian (2-7) with eight points and five rebounds, both of which were team-highs.
“I’m glad we won today and Laurie definitely stepped up for us,” said Chrystie Duran. “It feels good to know that Elmwood Park is a threat and we’re a team that other teams in our league are gunning for. It only gives us motivation to work harder and get better with each game.”
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