CURANOVIC LED PTS, RBS, BKS; LOWE ‘CHIEF THIEF’
Vast improvement and the ability to take a lead and keep it worked out well for the Cranford High School girls basketball team this season. Last year, the Cougar girls blew several leads after going into deep scoring slumps and finished 12-13, but this season they figured it out, played in the Union County Tournament (UCT) championship game, advanced to the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinals and finished with a 19-8 record.
“My staff and I are extremely proud of what our team accomplished this year. It has certainly been a journey with this group, and the meaningful games that we had the opportunity to play in this year are a direct result of their commitment, coachability, composure, and competitiveness,” Cougar Head CoachAllison Skrec pointed out.
The rhythm took awhile, however, as the Cougars dropped four of their first six games. After defeating the Westfield Blue Devils, 45-30, in the season opener, the Cougars lost to the Roselle Catholic Lions, 46-39, and the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders, 43-39. A 46-42 win over River Dell was followed by losses to Madison (49-33) and Chatham (52-36) in the Chatham Tournament.
A seven-game winning streak guided the Cougars on the right path, beginning with a 60-49 triumph over the Watchung Hills Warriors in the third game of the tournament. The Cougars went on to beat Linden (5317), Oak Knoll Royals (60-38), Elizabeth Minutemen (46-43), Westfield (52-49), Governor Livingston (2910) and a get-even one against Roselle Catholic (34-31).
The Cougars lost to highly touted New Providence, 48-20, at the Investors Bank Scholarship Games then rebounded with four straight wins – SPF Raiders (48-40), Oak Knoll (4023), AL Johnson (47-28), Elizabeth (47-45) – to elevate their record to 135. After being setback, 50-35, to New Providence, the Cougars completed their regular season with a 53-28 victory over South Plainfield.
In the UCT, the Cougars ousted Rahway (53-21), Summit (38-23) and Roselle Catholic (50-48) to face the Elizabeth Minutemen for the UCT crown. The struggle went to overtime where the Minutemen prevailed, 5957. The sectional tournament was next and the Cougars knocked off Governor Livingston, 33-21, and West Morris Central, 53-35, before bowing to top-seeded Chatham, 53-35.
“The UCT final is a game that I will remember for a very long time. While not the outcome that we wanted, the effort and toughness that our team showed that Sunday afternoon is unforgettable in my eyes,“ Coach Skrec expressed. “With that being said, while we are proud of the steps taken this season, we are not satisfied. We don’t just want to play in ‘big games’, we want to win ‘big games’. We will continue to put in the work to put us in a position to be able to accomplish that.”
Five seniors Kristina Lowe, Maddy DeLong, Sophia DeMarco, Carly Lynch and Molly Devlin, helped guide the younger Cougars down the path to success.
Lowe led the team with 77 assists and was definitely the “Chief Thief” with 73 steals. She also finished with 119 points (5 3-pointers, 26 free throws), 137 rebounds (2nd on team) and 11 blocks. DeMarco led the team with 34 3-pointers and finished with 158 points, 97 rebounds, 42 assists, 19 steals and two blocks. DeLong pulled 118 rebounds and added 84 points, 47 assists, 27 steals and four blocks. Devlin contributed 13 rebounds, eight points and four steals. Lynch had eight points, six rebounds, three steals and an assist.
Junior Bella Curanovic was the boss under the boards with a team-leading 413 points (83 free throws, 7 3-pointers), 171 rebounds and 39 blocked shots to go with 43 steals and 50 assists. Sophomore Lily Costello was second in scoring with 209 points (12 3-pointers), 81 rebounds, 48 assists, 30 steals and three blocks.
Junior Ella Grady netted 78 points and was second on the team with 20 3-pointers, while adding 49 rebounds, 15 assists, 16 steals and four blocks. Sophomore Courtney Toy finished with56 points (6 3-pointers), 51 rebounds, 21 assists, six steals and a block. Sophomore Brooke Bentrewicz finished with 35 points, 24 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. Freshman Sienna DeStefano contributed 10 points, two assists and a rebound. Freshman Kasey Coon sank a free throw and added three rebounds and a steal.
Curanovic recorded five doubledoubles (DD) beginning with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the first game against Roselle Catholic. She had a DD (20 points, 11 rebounds) against the SPF Raiders, while Lowe recorded six steals. Another DD (16 points, 10 rebounds) and six assists was against South Plainfield. Curanovic posted a DD (16 points, 10 rebounds) against Summit then added a DD (25 points, 11 rebounds) in the UCT game against Elizabeth. Lowe recorded seven steals against Westfield, six assists and four steals in the first game against Elizabeth, while DeMarco (13 points) sank trip 3-pointers, and recorded seven steals in the second game against Roselle Catholic. Lowe also had seven assists in the second Elizabeth game.
“This group of seniors (Carly, Kristina, Maddy, Molly, and Sophia) have solidified the standard and culture of our program,” Coach Skrec emphasized. “The returners are prepared to uphold these, and that makes me extremely optimistic for the future of Cranford basketball.”
