Girls Basketball Rolls On With State Tourney Win

SUMMIT–After a low scoring first quarter, the No. 3 seed Summit girls basketball team rallied back in convincing fashion to defeat the No. 11 seed Bordentown 46-31 in the Central, Group II NJSIAA second round.

"What a tremendous team effort tonight," Summit head coach Brian Erickson said. "I haven't seen us play like this in a while. I knew we had it in us."

In a majority of their games this season, the Hilltoppers came out strong and obtained a commanding lead that opponents could not overcome. On Thursday night, however, the Hilltoppers struggled to find their rhythm early. Field goals by Kate Martino and Amanda Murphy represented Summit's only first quarter points. After eight minutes of play, the Hilltoppers trailed 9-4.

"We played too quickly in the first," Erickson said. "We just needed to slow it down and be a little more patient on offense."

In the second quarter, the Hilltoppers created numerous offensive opportunities by picking up their defensive intensity. Sheer determination by Summit senior Emily Cristaldi resulted in a steal and layup, cutting Bordentown's lead to 11-8 with 6:30 remaining in the half. On the next play, Olivia Galuppo came up with a steal that resulted in a Kate Martino three pointer to tie the game, 11-11.

With 3:49 left in the half, Cristaldi drove hard to the basket for a layup to extend Summit's lead to 17-11. With the basket, Cristaldi broke Summit High School's single season scoring record with 557 total points so far this season. The previous record was held by Renee Green with 538 points. Cristaldi is averaging 22.3 points per game in her senior season.

"Emily played so well tonight, just like she has all season," Erickson said.

Summit's persistent defense held Bordentown scoreless from the field in the second quarter. Bordentown scored just three second quarter points, all of which came from the foul line. After a 13-0 run, Summit had come back to lead 19-12 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Hilltoppers continued their aggressive play and defensive tenacity. In the opening possession of the half, Martino made a steal and Cristaldi hit a long baseline two-pointer to put the Hilltoppers up 21-12. Then, the Hilltoppers really got the ball rolling, and it never stopped.

With 6:25 left in the third, senior Michelle Burian grabbed a steal that resulted in a Cristaldi three-pointer from the top of the key. Two minutes later, a Cristaldi steal ended in a nice give-and-go from Martino back to Cristaldi for the layup. When sophomore Kelly Osmulski drained a three-pointer from the wing at the 3:50 mark, Summit fans went wild. The Hilltoppers now led 29-14. Senior Cassie Hall rounded out Summit's third quarter run with a short jump shot to make the score 31-18 entering the game's fourth quarter.

"Cassie Hall gets a huge star for tonight's effort," Erickson said. "She got two early fouls and had to sit out most of the first quarter, but when she got back in the game it was like she was possessed. She really stepped up tonight."

With the large lead, Summit was able to settle into the game and just have fun. Early in the fourth quarter, seniors Cristaldi and Hall teamed up as Cristaldi lobbed a pass to Hall for the "And 1" bucket and foul shot. Two minutes later, Cristaldi hit a fast break "And 1" of her own off a long Martino outlet pass. Cristaldi drained another three-pointer with three minutes remaining to give Summit its largest lead of the game, 42-26. Summit was able to breathe easy and celebrate their 22nd victory of the season as the final buzzer signaled the 46-31 win.

Cristaldi led all scorers with 25 points; Martino finished with 11. Cristaldi and Martino each had three assists and two steals on the night. Hall scored five points and had a team-high six rebounds and four blocks.

Summit (22-3) will face the No. 10 seed Willingboro on Saturday at Summit High in the semifinals. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.