UNION, NJ – The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders and the Union High School Farmers headed into their game trying to get a one back in the win column. After the game was tied coming out of halftime, it was the Farmers who got the offensive rhythm going in the 16 minutes following halftime.
Krizia Aponte, Ezinne Igwe and Julia Armosa led the offense for the Farmers with ten points each as they defeated the Crusaders 36-31 Tuesday afternoon in Union.
Johnson opened the game with a 5-0 run, with junior Lily Gull and freshman Angela Aromando knocking down a shot each, but Union battled back. Igwe and McNair got the Farmers to within 5-4 with back-to-back baskets, with Johnson leading by the same score, 5-4 after the first quarter.
Union would get shots knocked down as the second quarter started. Igwe hit a basket and Julianna Gure drained a three-pointer to make it 9-5 Union with 4:41 left in the second quarter, the Farmers knocking down their chances, after an overall sluggish start to the game.
“It’s definitely energy. When they have energy and they play together and they start trusting each other, they definitely play differently,” Union head coach Wendy McNair said. “We were a little hesitant defensively and offensively at the beginning of the quarter.”
After struggles earlier on, including turnovers and missed shots, Johnson found a way back in the game and they responded instantly. Gull led the offensive comeback with five points, with senior Bailey Rosenmeier adding three points, giving Johnson a 13-9 lead with 0:45 left in the second quarter.
As soon as that happened, Union found a way to get back in the game. Alexa Silvera and Aponte both knocked down a shot each to send the game into halftime with the score tied at 13-13.
When the second half started, the Farmers were the ones who burst through the game offensively, on a major scoring run.
Almosa knocked down a shot and was fouled, connecting on the free throw to give her team a 16-15 lead with 6:52 left in the third quarter. It was the start of momentum for the Farmers. Igwe and Almosa each knocked down a shot, with Johnson calling a timeout with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
“Once they started getting comfortable and started looking for each other and relaxing and trusting each other, they played differently,” McNair said of her team’s play.
Johnson would not go away quietly, as they embarked on an offensive run of their own. Freshman Dominka Kosiek, junior Ally Bowen and Rosenmeier each knocked down a basket, cutting Union’s lead to 22-21 with 2:11 left in the third quarter.
Gull, Johnson’s leading scorer on the day, tied the game with a free throw, making it 22-22 with 1:53 left in the quarter.
Union responded right back, closing the quarter out on a 6-0 run, taking a 28-22 lead heading into the final eight minutes of action. Johnson would get within 30-26 with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as they would get.
McNair praised her players’ drive despite losing their leads throughout the game towards finishing it off.
“Definitely composure. It’s something we’ve stressed this season,” McNair said. “When we lack it, we definitely don’t well, so I was happy to see that we regained composure, even when we had little hiccups here and there, we were able to step back up and regain our composure. That’s something I spoke to the girls about. I was very happy about that today.”
Full Coverage of Johnson Girls Varsity Basketball Against Union HS Here
