BY BOB SHWALB
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD | THE RECORD
RUTHERFORD – Nicole Lucianin said she thought she was hurt.
The St. Mary forward had a smile on her face, though, after drawing a charge — the key play in her basketball team’s win over Saddle Brook on Thursday.
“One of [our] other girls, Makiela Walker fell on me, too … we didn’t know what happened,” Lucianin said. “Then we realized [the officials] called the charge.
“I was so happy. So happy.”
Lucianin was thrilled because the play sent Saddle Brook’s standout center Brianna Brooks to the bench for good with her fifth foul. The score was tied, 35-35, with 5:04 left in regulation before St. Mary went on a 9-0 run en route to a 46-38 win.
“That was a big one,” Walker said. “We needed that for the league. We were a little jittery at first, but we managed to lock them down and got the win.”
