Wednesday, January 11, 2012

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Danielle Mitchell hit a huge-3-pointer late in the game to help Secaucus knock off Lyndhurst, 50-43, at grab sole possession of first place in the Meadowlands A Division.

LYNDHURST – For years, the calling card for the Secaucus girls basketball team was that head coach John Sterling would put five good athletes out on the floor and wear out opposing teams despite just sticking primarily with those five starters the entire game. The slight difference between being a good team and being a championship contender is depth, a valuable asset for a Group 1 school and something Secaucus has not had in years past.

However, with the top spot in the Meadowlands A Division on the line, Sterling had to dig deeper into his bench than has ever has before in a big game. That paid dividends in the fourth quarter when the Secaucus bench helped it pull away from Lyndhurst.

Danielle Mitchell and Bryonna McClure both made huge plays down the stretch as Secaucus moved atop the league standings with a big 50-43 road win over previously undefeated Lyndhurst on Thursday night.

“Whether it’s the starters or someone off the bench, we all have to come in and make plays when we were in the game,” said Mitchell. “I knew that I had to play defense against a much bigger girl, I just tried to box her out the best I could and keep her out of the paint.”

Lyndhurst's Camila Alonso had a double-double in the first half alone.

Lyndhurst was off to its best start in school history and had a legitimate chance to take a huge step towards its first-ever league title behind the rapid development of junior center Camila Alonso. Mostly a role player a season ago, she has worked hard to become one of Bergen County’s biggest surprises and she carried her team in the first half.

After five straight points from freshman Andie Lennon gave Secaucus a six-point lead, Alonso capped off her double-double in the first half alone with a putback to cut the Patriots' lead to 21-17 at the half.

“She is as improved of a player as I’ve seen and we really had a hard time containing her,” said Secaucus head coach John Sterling of Alonso. “We had to keep her off the boards and we couldn’t seem to do it. It was definitely something that concerned me going into the second half and then it all changed.”

After consecutive 18-foot jumpers from Nicole Baratta gave Lyndhurst a 26-25 lead, Alonso and Secaucus’ lone senior starter, Alyssa Lyngholm, got into a shoving match, which led to both players being ejected. The entire complexion of the game changed right then and there.

Later in the third quarter, Secaucus’ other standout freshman, Julia McClure, picked up her fourth foul. That left both teams about to start the fourth quarter in their biggest game of the season to date without some of their key players on the court.

Bryonna McClure had 3 steals and 3 points over the final four minutes to help Secaucus seal the win.

“It was a little bit of a different lineup in the fourth quarter, but we were still confident,” said Lennon. “We were all really pumped up and we knew what we had to do and we were really focused. If we had any chance of winning the league, we knew we had to win this game.”

Secaucus trailed by a point early in the fourth quarter when Mitchell stepped up and hit the biggest shot of her varsity career to date. Her shot from the top of the key got a friendly bounce off the front rim and in for a three-pointer that put the Patriots ahead, 38-36.

Lyndhurst attempted to get the ball inside to 5-foot-10 forward Shege Haxhaj. Despite giving up five inches in the post, Mitchell held Haxhaj to just two points and two rebounds in the second half, which quietly was one of several big factors in the final outcome.

The Golden Bears hung tough, but turned the ball over on five of their final eight possessions and could not get back over the hump. McClure came up huge off the bench with three points and three steals over the final four minutes and Julia McClure hit four straight free-throws in the final minute to ice the game and move the Patriots atop the league standings.

“We just didn’t do enough good things to beat a good team tonight,” said Lyndhurst head coach Perrin Mosca. “When you shoot as poorly as we did from the free-throw line and turn the ball over as often as we did, you’re going to have a hard time winning these types of games. I thought we played real well defensively and we had our chances. Free throws and turnovers just killed us.”

Grace Tomko and Lyndhurst are now 7-1 on the season.

Lennon led the way for Secaucus (7-2) with 13 points, four assists, and three steals. Julia McClure and Danielle Roesing each had six points, while Lauren Guillen and Kendall Caruso each finished with five. Despite playing just over a half, Alonso led all players with 14 points and 11 rebounds for Lyndhurst (7-1).

Secaucus has now taken a big step towards the Meadowlands A Division title with the win and likely its only other test among league foes will come on its home court in February against Lyndhurst. With freshman standouts Lennon and McClure becoming a dangerous duo and with the Patriots showing off their new-found depth, they are realizing that becoming a championship team is not as far off as they originally thought after graduating two 1,000-point scorers.

“To come back with an important win after losing to Fair Lawn is big for a young team like ours,” added Sterling. “Andie had another real solid game, but we were in a tough spot with Julia getting in foul trouble. With her being on the bench and Ariana Simon (concussion) not playing tonight, we definitely had a huge lack of size in the middle.

“We needed a spark in the second half and our bench really gave it to us. Danielle Mitchell and Bryonna McClure were huge down the stretch. Without the defense they played for us in the fourth quarter, we don’t win this game. If they can play as hard every night and be as effective as they were tonight, then we definitely have a bright future ahead of us.”

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