Summit, Oak Knoll are in girls' basketball UCT first round games Monday, Feb. 15; Summit senior Cristaldi becomes 4th girl at school to reach 1,000 points

By JR Parachini

Union County Sports Editor

If you’re wondering whether or not Summit is too small or too slow to keep up with the best teams in Union County you might want to think again.

On Saturday at home against Linden, the Hilltoppers made a big statement.

After falling at Linden 54-40 on Jan. 28 – which was a game Summit led 22-16 at the half before the host Tigers outscored the visiting Hilltoppers 38-18 the final 16 minutes – Summit knew it could not let up at all this time.

Although the Hilltoppers broke the game open with a 23-4 second quarter – the contest was tied 14-14 at the end of the first period – Summit realized that there was still a second half to play.

In contrast to the game at Linden, Summit continued its fine play and outscored the Tigers 30-20 in the third and fourth quarters.

It added up to a more-than-convincing 67-38 triumph on a day Summit celebrated capturing the first Union County Conference-Watchung Division championship as it
now owns a 12-1 league mark, with only a makeup home game left against
Westfield.

The Hilltoppers won their fifth straight to improve to 16-2 overall.

On Monday night at 7:30 at Rahway, second-seeded Summit will take on 15^th-seeded Hillside in a first round Union County Tournament contest.

The Hilltoppers are seeking their second UCT championship and first since 1999.

Coming off a 16-8 season, Summit entered the UCC’s biggest division – the Watchung – despite moving down from North 2, Group 3 to Central Jersey, Group 2, based on enrollment.

In Watchung Division play, Summit swept Group 4 schools Union, Plainfield
and Elizabeth and Group 3 squads Scotch
Plains and Rahway, while splitting with Group 4 foe Linden. Summit
also won at Group 4 Westfield 44-42 on a layup at the buzzer made by senior
guard Emily Cristaldi.

Summit’s home game against Westfield on Thursday was snowed out.

Speaking of Cristaldi, there was also celebration for another reason Saturday at Summit. One of the top players in Union County who will continue at Muhlenberg, Cristaldi became the fourth girls’ player in Summit
history to reach and pass 1,000 points.

Cristaldi needed just 13 and got that in the second quarter, with the game stopped to acknowledge her accomplishment.

Cristaldi paced all scorers with 30 points and now has 1,017 total heading into Monday’s UCT game against Hillside.

Cristaldi has led Summit in scoring in every game so far this season and has also scored in double digits in every contest.

Also lighting up the scoreboard for Summit in Saturday’s important win over Linden were Kelly Osmulski with 16 points and sophomore point guard Kate Martino with 15.

Sophomore point guard Shannon Wheeler paced Linden with 23 points, with the Tigers falling to 11-8.

The only other team to beat Summit so far this season is Roselle Catholic, which captured the first UCC-Mountain
Division title.

The Lions, who downed visiting and 8-0 Summit 44-34 back on Jan. 19 – Summit came back to make it a 38-34 game with under a minute to play – improved to 18-2 overall and 12-1 in the Mountain Division on
Saturday after winning at league foe Cranford 42-33.

Roselle Catholic only has one conference game left, which is a road game it has to make up against Governor Livingston.

The Lions have won seven in a row since falling at Toms River North 46-40 on Jan. 25. Roselle Catholic’s first loss was at home to Cranford 49-47 in conference play on Jan. 16, with Cranford senior Jamie Webb making an inside basket at the buzzer for the
victory.

Roselle Catholic had double-digit leads in the fourth quarter in both of its setbacks, so the Lions are not that far away from being undefeated at the moment.

Roselle Catholic, the top seed and defending champion, will face 17^th-seeded Scotch Plains Monday night at 7:30
at Johnson in a first round UCT encounter.

Roselle Catholic is attempting to become the first repeat champion since Scotch Plains in 2005. Roselle Catholic won its first of two UCT crowns in 2003 and Scotch
Plains its first of three in
2004.

The starting times of Monday’s games could be moved up because of Monday’s snow.

Against the Cougars Saturday during Seniors Day at Cranford, Roselle Catholic won the first quarter 10-3 and led 21-12 at the half.

The Lions then made sure that they were not about to let a lead slip away this time against the Cougars. In their first meeting, Roselle Catholic led 42-31 after three quarters before being outscored 18-5 in the fourth
and falling for the first time this year after an 8-0 start.

“We had solid possessions in the fourth quarter and that is a tribute to the play of our senior point guard Jenny Malone,” Skrec said. “We were more aggressive.”

Roselle Catholic maintained a lead of at least five throughout the fourth quarter, with each team scoring 11 points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth.

Senior 2-guard Allison Skrec paced all scorers with 16 points and also produced four rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Skrec became just the second Roselle Catholic girls’ player to reach 1,000 points, accomplishing the feat on Jan. 14 at home when she poured in a game-high 21 to
reach 1,000 exactly in a 50-26 conference win over GL.

She now has 1,209 career points and is 59 away from passing the school record of 1,267 set by Schrene Isidora in 1999.

In addition to the scoring of Skrec and her teammates – with seniors Anthonia Ajumobi and Meghan Faughnan scoring nine points each – it was the defense and
the rebounding that sparked Roselle Catholic to its conference win at Cranford.

“Cranford is a very hard team to defend,” Roselle Catholic head coach Joe Skrec said. “Our rebounding was very important.”

Ajumobi paced the Lions with 10 boards, with Roselle Catholic garnering 33 total.

Junior forward Melissa Tobie sparked a strong defensive effort with five steals and one blocked shot.

Webb paced Cranford with 12 points, while sophomore Morgan Miller added 10.

Summit girls’ 1,000 club: Lindsay Burns 1,382, Renee Green 1,220, Danielle Scott 1,058, Emily Cristaldi 1,017. (information
assisted by Steve Pardee at www.summitsports.org).

Roselle Catholic girls’ 1,000 club: Schrene Isidora 1,267, Allison Skrec 1,209.

Oak Knoll, New Providence vying for UCC-Valley Division title: In the battle for the UCC’s Valley Division championship, Oak Knoll of Summit and New Providence begin
the week with just one loss to each other in conference play.

New Providence is 15-2 overall and has won four straight.

Oak Knoll was 14-4 overall and had won seven in a row and nine of 10 going into Friday’s scheduled UCC-interdivision home game against Union Catholic.

New Providencebegins the week at 11-1 in the Valley Division, with a makeup game at St. Patrick and a home game against Brearley Tuesday night at 7 remaining.

Oak Knoll also begins the week at 11-1 and has two conference games remaining. According to its schedule on www.highschoolsports.net,
a conference home game against St. Patrick has to be re-scheduled, while the
Royals are scheduled to play at conference rival Dayton Tuesday night at 7 in Springfield.

Oak Knoll will now host Union Catholic on Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. and then wrap its regular season schedule at Whippany Park on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m.

For those teams that advanced, the states commence the week of Monday, March 1.

UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE:

WATCHUNG DIVISION: Summit clinched the championship. The Hilltoppers have a 12-1 record and a home game vs. Westfield remaining.

MOUNTAIN DIVISION: Roselle Catholic clinched the championship. The Lions have a 12-1 record and a road game vs. GL remaining.

VALLEY DIVISION: Oak Knoll is 11-1 and has games remaining at home vs. St. Patrick and at Dayton. New Providence is 11-1 and has games remaining at St. Patrick and at home vs. Brearley.

JR’s TOP 10 FOR 02-15-10:

1-Roselle Catholic (18-2, 7 in a row)

2-Summit (16-2, 5 in a row)

3-Roselle (16-5, 3 in a row)

4-Cranford (14-5)

5-Westfield (10-7, 5 in a row)

6-Linden (11-8)

7-Gov. Livingston (10-7, 4 in a row)

8-Johnson (11-7, 2 in a row)

9-Oak Knoll (14-4, 7 in a row)

10-New Providence (15-2, 4 in a row)

35^th ANNUAL FRANK J. CICARELL

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT

PRELIMINARY ROUND:

Friday, Feb. 12

At Johnson

Scotch Plains 52, Rahway 34

Saturday, Feb. 13

At Rahway

Union 75, St. Patrick 14

Plainfield 50, Kent Place 40

Hillside 58, Elizabeth 37

FIRST ROUND:

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

(starting times could be moved up because of Monday’s snow)

Monday, Feb. 15

At Johnson

9-Dayton vs. 8-Linden, 6 p.m.

17-Sotch Plains vs. 1-Roselle Catholic, 7:30 p.m.

At RoselleCatholic

12-Union Catholic vs. 5-Oak Knoll, 6 p.m.

13-Union vs. 4-Cranford, 7:30 p.m.

At Rahway

11-Johnson vs. 6-New Providence, 6 p.m.

14-Plainfield vs. 3-Roselle, 7:30 p.m.

At Union Catholic

10-Gov. Livingston vs. 7-Westfield, 6 p.m.

15-Hillside vs. 2-Summit, 7:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Thursday, Feb. 18

At Rahway(top side of the bracket)

If Cranford advances, Cougars will be home team at 6 p.m.

If Roselle Catholic advances, Lions will be home team at 7:30 p.m.

At RoselleCatholic (bottom side of the bracket)

If Roselle advances, Rams will be home team at 6 p.m.

If Summit advances, Hilltoppers will be home team at 7:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Tuesday, Feb. 23

At RoselleCatholic

Bottom side of the bracket (3 and 2 seeds side), 6 p.m.

Top side of the bracket (4 and 1 seeds side), 7:30 p.m.

FINALS

(the higher seeded teams wear home uniforms)

Friday, Feb. 26

At RoselleCatholic

Junior varsity: 5:30 p.m.

Varsity: 7:30 p.m.

VARSITY UCT CHAMPIONS

GOING BACK TO 1992:

2009 – Roselle Catholic

2008 – Westfield, first time

2007 – Scotch Plains

2006 – Cranford, first time

2005 – Scotch Plains

2004 – Scotch Plains, first time

2003 – Roselle Catholic, first time

2002 – Roselle, first time

2001 – Union Catholic

2000 – Union, first time

1999 – Summit, first time

1998 – Union Catholic

1997 – Elizabeth

1996 – Elizabeth

1995 – Elizabeth, first time

1994 – Linden

1993 – Linden

1992 – Union Catholic