Summit Boys Basketball Falls to Cranford 48-34

Sometimes you just want to forget some games: for whatever reason, your shot doesn't drop, you don't get that call, and that pass is just out of reach.  The Summit High School boys basketball team has been hot and cold this season, topping three good teams in Rahway, Hillside, and Roselle, before falling to Governor Livingston in their first loss on Tuesday. 

Last night, the Hilltoppers were defeated by a red hot Cranford squad 48-34. The Cougars extended their winning streak to four, but put Summit at 3-2 on the season.

It looked to be a close contest at the start. Matt Wooley put up points down low and David Newton hit a long jumper. Shawn Hillas's trademark hustle was in full force, and Dwaine Dabney's mix of agility and size made for a largely defensive quarter. Both teams sized-up one another's attack, as Summit closed out the first eight minutes down 12-10.

The Hilltoppers had trouble keeping up with the Cougars' speed in the second quarter. Cranford's Chris Gross made shots from all over the floor, while teammate Kendall Grier's quick passes never touched the floor. 

Ryan O'Malley played well for Summit off the bench, registering a steal and layup off of a Dabney pass, and Matt Wooley's powerful drive reverse layup found netting for two, but the Hilltoppers couldn't muster much else offensively. They scored just six points in the second quarter and went into the half down eight points at 24-16.  Unfortunately, the third quarter didn't provide much relief as the home Cougars hit their stride. Cranford won battles on the inside, rebounding and putting back missed shots and capitalizing on Summit turnovers. 

Newton looked tough as he hit two big layups down low, Hillas rejected a would-be Cranford shooter and added a deep 3-pointer, but the Hilltoppers had trouble establishing consistency as those were the only points scored in the third. For the second quarter in a row, they were held to under eight points.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Hilltoppers were short on momentum and staring up at a menacing 39-23 deficit. For a few minutes, Summit put together an attack: Newton was 1-for-2 from the line after a foul, and after Clayton Johnson was hacked on a foul, he converted the free throw for a 3-point play. Terry Mckenna came off the bench for a layup, and O'Malley found the hoop but Cranford proved to be too much, too fast, closing the game ahead of Summit 48-34.

While Newton put up nine points, and the Summit bench looked deeper than usual, the Hilltoppers have now lost their last two games. They are off for four days, and they will head back home to square off against Linden on Tuesday at 4 p.m., where they hope to get back to the high performance level they had in their first few games.