NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ- The New Providence High School Pioneers girls varsity basketball team and the Jonathan Dayton High School Bulldogs (Springfield) battled it out on the court to open up the state tournament.
In a back-and-forth affair, the Pioneers and Bulldogs put on a show, but a late offensive push and a three-pointer from Dayton senior Caitlyn McTernan with 1:11 left in the fourth quarter gave the Bulldogs a 45-44 lead over the Pioneers. After a backcourt violation on the Bulldogs, the Pioneers were set up to go for the win but couldn’t take advantage of the turnover.
The twelfth-seeded Bulldogs held on to defeat the fifth-seeded Pioneers 46-44 in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 First Round Tuesday afternoon in New Providence.
The New Providence Pioneers finish the 2018-19 season with a 16-9 record.
The Jonathan Dayton Bulldogs (14-11) advance to play at fourth-seeded Brearley Thursday night at a time to be announced.
As the game started, it was the Pioneers who appeared to have the upper hand in the first quarter. Sophomore Lindsay Kinum added seven points to lead the Pioneers attack, while senior Olivia Faucher added a three-pointer. New Providence led Dayton 16-9 after the opening eight minutes of action.
New Providence built an 18-9 lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter, but Dayton pushed back in the second quarter. McTernan led the attack for the Bulldogs, with Michelle Brandstaffer added five points, but New Providence countered the Dayton push with Kinum and senior Alexa Boyle adding baskets to keep the lead for the Pioneers.
New Providence led Dayton 31-25 at halftime.
“I thought we attacked the zone well and I thought we were knocking down our shots,” New Providence head coach Cap Pazdera said.
The third quarter appeared to be the turning point of the game for the Bulldogs, who fought back into the game. Michelle Bellino fueled the offense of the Bulldogs, scoring six points for her team. Despite baskets from senior Alyssa Nook and Kinum, the Bulldogs outscored the Pioneers 10-4 in the quarter to send the game to the fourth quarter tied up at 35-35.
“We were turning the ball over as the game went on and it got a little tighter,” Pazdera said. “We started to make some silly decisions with the ball. We turned the ball over late a bunch of times, which hurt us.”
