HILLSDALE — Secaucus is one of the premier Group 1 teams in North Jersey, and with a strong non-league schedule, is never afraid to get pushed. So the Patriots got exactly what they were looking for at Sunday’s Joe Poli Holiday tournament semifinal.The Patriots, ranked No. 6 in The Record preseason girls basketball Top 25, rallied in the face of a tough Pascack Valley defense, pulling out a 52-46 victory over the host Indians.
“That’s an amazing team,” Secaucus senior guard Andie Lennon said. “They play hard and they play tough all the time, and we love to play against that kind of toughness.”
The Patriots, who have opened the season with five straight wins, will play No. 9 Old Tappan in Tuesday’s championship game.
Wagner-bound senior Julia McClure, Secaucus’ headliner, struggled offensively, but Lennon, who has a scholarship to Caldwell, picked up the slack. She scored 19 points, including a three-pointer with 3:30 remaining that put the Patriots ahead to stay at 44-42.
