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Sports

Lady Warriors Roll In State Tournament Opener

Kelsey Conway leads team effort to outpace Linden 66-46; top seeded Edison next.

Defense has been a key for the Watchung Hills girls basketball team all season long.  And while it wasn’t apparent in the first half of their North 2 Group IV opening round game of the NJSIAA tournament against Linden, it was certainly there in the 2nd half, as they defeated the Tigers, 66-46.

“That’s what we talked about at halftime, playing good defense and shutting down their scorers," Warriors head coach Sandy Whelan, whose squad will take on #1 seeded Edison on Wednesday night, said.  "It showed in the third quarter.  It was a big difference in the game.”

The Warriors (19-7) defense held the Tigers (13-12) offense to just 17 points in the second half, after they were tagged for 29 in the first half. 

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“We just didn’t dig in defensively to play good defense in the first half.  We were a little out of sorts,” said Whelan.  “Defense is what has gotten us where we are.  It’s why we’re a 19-win team.  I’m really proud of the defensive adjustments we made.  They only scored three field goals in the second half.”

One of the key players was freshman guard Kelsey Conway.  Conway came in off the bench early in the game and never left.  Her 12 points, mostly from strong perimeter shooting, were vital but it was her defensive assignment against Linden’s guard Shannon Wheeler late in the game that proved to be a huge difference maker. 

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“She really stepped up tonight—and that’s the beauty of being a part of a team," Whelan said. "She had a great game, she shot the ball well for us, she played magnificent defense.” 

“I was so proud of her, I honestly couldn’t have asked for more from her,” said senior guard Brielle Macellara, who co-led the team in points with 14.  “Times like these, where you need players to come off the bench and spark something for your team and carry them.  Everyone feeds off it.  Her defense was phenomenal.  She really did help us a lot tonight.  Without her, the team wouldn’t be the same.”

The modest Conway said she was just trying to help the team.

“It was a big responsibility but my team definitely helped me out with calling out the picks and screens and when I needed help," she said. "They were always there.  We pulled through.”

Leading just 33-29 at halftime, the Warriors cranked up the defensive machine that Whelan alluded to at halftime.  A 7-1 run to start the first 2 minutes of the third, the Warriors offense fed off creating turnovers with their half court press.  Over the next few minutes, Linden crawled back into the game with the lead at 6, but the Warriors made the last 3 field goals of the quarter, closing the third quarter with a commanding 48-36 lead. 

Linden would get as close as 9 twice, with 6:07 left and 2:10 left.  However, when the Warriors needed to they got some strong offensive play to put the game out of reach.  Following those lead cuts by Linden to 9, the Warriors went on runs of 6-0 and 9-0 to finish off the Tigers. 

Amy Park notched 14, while Alana Tielmann added 8.  Breanua Williams chipped in with 6 while both Breanne Mackie and Monique Goncalves contributed with 4.  Stephanie Huff and Kara Smiegocki each added a basket.

The adjustments made on defense at halftime were all the Warriors needed to start building towards their next game on Wednesday.

“She told us we had to play like we wanted to win this game and we came out right after halftime and did that,” said Conway.  “Instead of playing afraid to lose we definitely played like we wanted to win, so it worked out.”

“It’s what we do best [half court press], that’s what our game is,” said Macellara.  “When we get a stop on D, we want to get our shot in on offense and come back and do it again.” 

A true team effort from everyone who got onto the court for the Warriors, they’re hoping the last 16 minutes will be a big step towards the next goal, knocking off #1 seeded Edison on Wednesday night.

“It was a team effort tonight.  Our coach showed us the book, it was a joint effort…everyone had something on the stat sheet,” Conway said.  “Everyone worked together tonight.  Hopefully we can bring that on Wednesday.  We’ll definitely be ready.”

“We felt a lot more relaxed [in the second half].  Now that we got one under our belt, we know what its like and we’re coming in strong [into the Edison game],” said Macellara. 

Heading into that game on Wednesday, Coach Whelan is hoping she’ll get some more efficient play from different sources, like Conway exhibited on Monday.

“Hopefully on Wednesday, we’ll have other kids who will step up," she said. "We have a lot of kids that can do good things out there.”

Wednesday’s game will at Edison High School with a time TBA.

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