Dayton's Lies, GL's Polimeni going for 1,000 career points at Johnson Monday in separate 7:30 p.m. UCT first round games

By JR Parachini
Union County Sports Editor

Back to big Monday!
The 37th annual Frank J. Cicarell Girls' Basketball Union County Tournament has returned to its old format, which includes eight first round games on the Monday after the tournament was seeded.
This time it means eight games at three high schools, not four, because one of the sites - Johnson in Clark - has two gyms to offer.

Here's Monday's first round UCT schedule:
At one Johnson gym
9-Union vs. 8-New Providence, 6 p.m.
16-Kent Place vs. 1-Gov. Livingston, 7:30 p.m. - GL senior Alyssa Polimeni is 13 points away from 1,000.

At the other Johnson gym
11-Scotch Plains vs. 6-Linden, 6 p.m.
14-Union Catholic vs. 3-Dayton, 7:30 p.m. - Dayton senior Anna Lies is 3 points away from 1,000. 

At Roselle Catholic
10-Johnson vs. 7-Oak Knoll, 6 p.m.
15-Hillside vs. 2-Cranford, 7:30 p.m.

At Rahway
12-Plainfield vs. 5-Summit, 6 p.m.
13-Westfield vs. 4-Roselle Catholic, 7:30 p.m.

All four higher-seeded teams won their preliminary round games at Rahway Friday and at Johnson Saturday.
Here's a look at those results:

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Friday, Feb. 10
At Rahway
Kent Place defeated St. Patrick by 6.
Westfield 42, Roselle 30

Saturday, Feb. 11
At Johnson
Hillside 63, Rahway 40
Union Catholic 37, Elizabeth 28

Not only will the Johnson gym host four of Monday’s eight first round games - with the tournament to continue with two quarterfinal games at Rahway and two at Roselle Catholic Thursday night - but two of Union County's best seniors will be out to reach and pass 1,000 points for their brilliant varsity careers in the 7:30 p.m. contests.
Anna Lies is three points away from becoming the third Dayton senior this year to reach 1,000 points. Dayton, the third seed, will face 14th-seeded Union Catholic in one of the 7:30 p.m. games at Johnson. Fellow seniors Emily MacDonnell and Jen Kuczynski reached the milestone first - in that order - with MacDonnell getting there Jan. 20 and Kuczynski Jan. 24.
Lies is now at 997, Kuczynski at 1,094 and MacDonnell at 1,063. Kuczynski's sister Jacqueline - a 2009 Dayton graduate - finished with 2,020, which is fourth-best all-time among Union County girls'. Lies, Kuczynski and MacDonnell are all four-year starters, with the trio helping lead Dayton to the UCT semifinals a year ago as the 12th seed.
Dayton swept Union Catholic in Union County Conference-Mountain Division play. The Bulldogs won 46-40 in Scotch Plains in the season-opener for both back on Dec. 17 and then they defeated the Vikings 58-34 in Springfield on Jan. 24, the night Kuczynski reached and passed 1,000 after she netted a game-high 21 points.
Polimeni, also a four-year starter for the Highlanders, is at 987. Top-seeded GL, which last year reached the final, will take on 16th-seeded Kent Place. The teams have not faced each other this year.
Other Union County seniors to have reached 1,000 career points this season include Jamiyah Bethune of Union, Kate Martino of Summit and Morgan Miller of Cranford.