CLARK, NJ – Union High School senior Nneka Moneme scored 13 points to help the Farmers defeat the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders by a final score of 50-47 in overtime Saturday morning in Clark. She added a basket and two key free throws in the extra quarter to lead her team to the win.
“It was a very hard-fought game,” Union head coach Justin Meyer said. “Johnson fought hard in that second half and we had to just stick with the program, stay strong, believe in each other and finish some plays down low.”
The Farmers led 9-4 three minutes into the game, but the Crusaders hung around, connecting on shots to keep the game close. The Farmers led the Crusaders 20-15 after the first quarter.
The first two and a half minutes of the second quarter saw no baskets made, but the two teams getting good looks. Johnson junior Amy Wysocki hit a three-point basket, cutting the Farmers lead to 20-18.
Ya’Niyah Dickerson drained a buzzer beating three-point basket to put Union ahead of Johnson 29-20 at halftime, capping a 9-2 scoring run for the Farmers.
As the second half started, the Crusaders would fight back. Rosenmeier drained back-to-back baskets and junior Danielle Hartzler drained a three-point basket to cut the Union lead to 29-27, as the Farmers subsequently called a timeout.
Off the timeout, ALJ junior Kristina Palella drained a basket off the inbound pass to even the game 29-29. Rosenmeier connected on another basket to put Johnson up 31-29. Palella would drain two free throws to make the 33-29 Crusaders, extending it to a 13-0 Johnson run.
