Girls basketball:⛹🏾‍♀️🏀⛹🏼‍♀️Rutherford halts Patriot divisional win streak at 109

Rutherford, NJ– It was a battle of NJIC National unbeatens on Friday night. Host Rutherford, with a strong second half, defeated Secaucus 43-33. The Bulldogs advanced to 9-1 (5-0 NJIC National) while Secaucus is now 8-3 (4-1). Points of emphasis.

First Period: The opening eight minutes do not always tell the entire story. The manner in which the game begins, though, does give some insight. The first period saw each team utilize 14 possessions. The offensive efficiency (points/possessions X 100) and turnover rate (to/possessions) gave us these numbers.

What we can ascertain, besides both teams had high turnover rates for the 14 possessions. The numbers reveal Secaucus getting off to a great start on the offensive end while Rutherford did not. The opening period was further evidence of how well the Bulldogs went on as the game progressed to stay the course and execute their game plan.

Turning the tables. Secaucus led 20-15 at intermission. In the third period Rutherford, held to two first period points, limited the Patriots to two in the third period. An 8-0 Rutherford run the first four minutes following the half turned the tide.

“At halftime I told the girls,” Rutherford coach Ed Guy said, “you are getting good shots. Just keep shooting. Trust (your ability) and attack the rim.” On the defensive end there was little change. “We stuck to our man to man,” Guy said. “We held them to 20 in the first half so there wasn’t much to change.”

“We had a very good start,” Secaucus coach John Sterling said. “We had a few open three point looks (the first period) that we missed. If we hit those the deficit would have been greater. Give Rutherford credit. They are big, strong and experienced.”

Getting it done on both ends of the floor. Rutherford took the lead and opened it up resulting in a 17-2 third period advantage. It was a combination of scoring and defense. Mackenzie Vellis, who sat out the last few minutes of the second period after a collision with another player, canned a three and midrange jumper to spark that previously mentioned 8-0 Rutherford run at the start of the third period.

On defense, Secaucus had been getting some penetration in the first half. Rutherford, as noted, stayed with their man to man. Only this time Payton Lewis would drop off from the weakside and fill the lane to stop penetration. “She (Lewis) is smart,” Guy praised. “She reads things so well, is experienced and knows where to go (on defense).”

A major factor for the Rutherford defense was Jea Herninko. The senior guard was entrusted with defending Secaucus’ outstanding freshman point guard Ava Illuzzi, and did the job extremely well.

“Jea plays lockdown defense,” Guy said. “She is always playing the other team’s best player. Illuzzi is averaging about 20 per game (actually 17 entering this contest) and Rea held her to five points.” The defensive work of the Rutherford guard was not lost on Sterling who added, “she’s a tremendous on ball defender and did a great job.”

End of the road. Post game after meeting with coaches, the Secaucus girls barely spent time with friends or family as they made haste for the team bus. “They are hurting now,” Sterling said. “They are not used to losing. That is our first regular season conference loss in 109 games. The last team to beat us was (now closed) Queen of Peace in 2016.”

Despite the loss, Sterling was proud. “They gave a great effort and I could live with a loss when the team hustles and plays as hard as they did the entire game.”

The streak is remarkable. Call it ‘UConn-esque’. In high school basketball you deal with injuries, illnesses and nights when the shots refuse to drop. As Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley often said, “it’s high school, anything can and does happen.” To go through nine years and over 109 straight wins is an incredible achievement- a tribute to all the players and coaches who made this milestone possible.

Notes. Vellis and Rutherford’s Madison Lewis shared game scoring honors with 12 points each. Gabriella Torrillo and Julia Pozo led Rutherford with 11 each. Gabriella Torrillo also led Secaucus with eight rebounds while Ava Illuzzi was the assist leader with five.

Secaucus had a fast turnaround. Following the Rutherford game on Friday evening, the Patriots traveled to Wayne Valley for an 11 am game on Saturday. Sterling’s group got back on track in that one with a 63-48 victory behind Gabriella Torrillo’s double-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds.

Patriots resume conference action with a game at Weehawken on Monday. Rutherford hosts Lyndhurst, also on Monday.