NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ- The New Providence High School Pioneers came into their home opener with an entirely different look after losing a core set of players to graduation last year. As the afternoon went along, they overcame a slow start in the opening minutes to take control of the game and defeat the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders by a final score of 41-30 Saturday afternoon in New Providence.
The Pioneers went on an 11-0 scoring run as the second quarter went through, after trailing early in the first quarter. They got two baskets coming from sophomore Kaitlyn Cumisky, five points from senior Elizabeth Parker and held Johnson to no points for the first two and a half minutes of the second quarter.
The Pioneers also created turnovers off the time Johnson had in their zone, allowing the chances to be created and to cash in on a few scoring opportunities. They led Johnson by a score of 18-12 at halftime.
“They were making the right decisions with the basketball,” New Providence head coach Cap Pazdera said. “It wasn’t all just one girl scoring the points. They didn’t panic [and] didn’t turn the ball over a lot. They have to work on some of the shots that we were taking, [those] shots that weren’t the best for us to take.”
As the third quarter started, the teams went back-and-forth with each other, as New Providence built a 22-14 lead just a little more than two minutes into the third quarter. Johnson began to chip away at the New Providence lead despite the slow start. Senior Tina Palella and junior Bailey Rosenmeier each scored a basket to cut the deficit to 22-18.
Full Coverage of New Providence Home Opener Against Arthur L. Johnson HS Here
