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Sports

Girls Basketball Routs Butler

Hilltoppers advance to championship game Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Summit head coach Brian Erickson had been trying to get his Hilltoppers to use some clock and get the best shot on each possession.

The problem with that strategy on Monday afternoon was that the best opportunities were available immediately as Summit converted 17 steals into numerous easy and, yes, quick fast break buckets as the Hilltoppers cruised to a 49-24 victory over Butler in the first round of the Hackettstown Tournament.

Summit (3-0) will play in the championship on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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Muhlenberg College-bound senior guard Emily Cristaldi had a hand in much of the pilferage, recording five steals and leading the way with 16 points as Summit led 41-7 in the final minutes of the third period.

"We got off to a real good start defensively," Erickson said, employing some serious understatement. "We put a lot of pressure on their guards and converted a lot of our layups. And we converted in the halfcourt as well.

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"But I was really pleased with our defense. It really shone through what we're capable of doing when we play defense."

The Hilltoppers are a team in the making after losing eight seniors to graduation. They are counting on seven sophomores to go along with a pretty solid nucleus of Cristaldi, guard Kate Martino, center Cassie Hall and forward Kelly Osmulski.

"Kate's just a sophomore and she and Emily together give us tremendous leadership at the guard spot," Erickson said. "And Kelly has been battling through a sprained ankle. She's a real sparkplug for us. She gives us energy baseline to baseline on offense and defense. She adds a whole new dimension for us."

Osmulski snagged four steals and scored nine points.

Summit led 14-4 after one period, and then grabbed six steals in the second period to limit the Bulldogs to a single point.

Cristaldi followed Nicole Johnson's lay-up off Cristaldi's feed with consecutive steals and lay-ups late in the second period. Three crisp passes set up Osmulski's bucket inside in the final minute as Summit took a 26-5 lead into the locker room.

A 15-2 run to start the third period and a 6-0 run to close it out opened up a 47-11 after three periods. Erickson emptied his bench at that point and Butler made a face-saving 13-2 run in the fourth quarter to set the final margin.

Martino had four points and four steals. Hall scored eight points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Olivia Galuppo grabbed seven.

"Cassie had a tremendous first half," Erickson said. "She came out with focus, got a bunch of rebounds and knocked down a couple of medium range jump shots."

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