Girls Basketball Squeezes by Delran in First Round of States

SUMMIT–With its single elimination format, everything is at stake in the NJSIAA state basketball tournament. This was evident as the No. 3 seed Summit Hilltoppers hosted the No. 14 Delran Bears in a battle from start to finish on Tuesday night.

Though Summit entered the game with a better record (20-3), it was clear that Delran (13-9) had scouted their opponent and entered the game prepared.

The Hilltoppers got off to a great start with a 6-0 run in the opening quarter courtesy of a long Emily Cristaldi jumper, a Kate Martino floater in the lane, and two Cassie Hall free throws. Delran, however, countered with a 7-0 run of their own with strong post play from forwards Crystal Cleveland and Haley Cullen. Following the run, Summit switched from a 2-3 zone defense to man-to-man and forced a pair of turnovers to give Summit an 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

"We felt like man was our best option given our foot speed and ability to pressure the ball," Summit head coach Brian Erickson said. "I really felt like our guards could pressure their guards on the perimeter and try to prevent them from getting it into the post."

Summit came out strong in the second quarter and reached its largest lead of the game, 20-10, after a pair of layups by Cristaldi and an "And 1" conversion by Hall. Delran made another comeback, however, and scored nine quick points to make the score 25-19 at the half.

In an effort to slow Summit's top scorer, Emily Cristaldi, Delran applied a Box-and-One defense in the second half. Cristaldi, who had 14 first half points, was held scoreless in the third quarter due to persistent defense by Delran's Tara Ballay and Taylor Umbrell.

"They didn't start in the Box-and-One, but they eventually went to it. We expected it," Erickson said.

With Cristaldi heavily guarded, sophomore Kate Martino and senior Cassie Hall played more aggressively on both offense and defense.

"I can't say enough about Kate tonight," Erickson said. "And Cassie's leadership can't be measured in points or minutes played. She is the vocal leader–the backbone–of this team."

Martino grabbed a steal early in the third quarter and hit the layup to give the Hilltoppers an eight point lead, 27-19. Hall followed with two jump shots later in the quarter, but a three-pointer at the buzzer by Delran's Jess McHugh tied the game at 31-31 entering the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was an eight minute nail biter. Summit stayed in man-to-man defense and Delran stuck with the Box-and-One. With 4:50 remaining, Cristaldi made a steal and layup to cut Delran's lead to one point, 34-33. This was Cristaldi's first, but not last, points of the second half.

On Delran's following possession, great defense by Summit point guard Kate Martino forced a five second count to give her team the ball. Martino then hit an 18-foot jump shot and two free throws a minute later to make the score 38-37, Delran. A Cristaldi steal and layup at the 1:40 mark put Summit ahead 39-38.

With less than a minute to go, Delran missed two separate 1-and-1 opportunities at the foul line, which proved costly in the end. Summit's Cristaldi, however, converted her free throws when she went 2-2 from the line with 28 seconds remaining to make the score 41-38.

Still just a one possession game, Delran had the ball and a chance to tie it up with a three-pointer. With 12 seconds remaining, though, Martino swarmed a Delran guard and came up with a steal. Delran had to foul, and Martino hit both free throws with nine seconds remaining to put the game out of the Bears' reach, 43-38.

"If you look at the second half, you can define it with one word: Kate," Erickson said. "She made two big steals, forced a five second count, and hit some big shots. Kate's also one of the best defenders in the county. She's always on her toes, and she always has her hands in the passing lanes to get deflections and steals. She was tremendous tonight."

"I couldn't have done it without my teammates," Martino modestly said after the game. "They got me in the right position. Emily works hard every game, especially when there's a Box-and-One. Tonight was really a team effort."

Emily Cristaldi led the Hilltoppers with 19 points. Hall added 11 for Summit and Martino scored 10.

With the win, the Hilltoppers advance to the second round of the NJSIAA tournament this Thursday at 7 p.m. at Summit High. They'll face the No. 11 seed Bordentown, who upset No. 6 Snyder 54-53 in the tournament's first round.