Schools
GL Ends Johnson Girls Basketball UCT Run
Lady Crusaders bow to rival Governor Livingston, 46-32, in quarterfinals.
The Records: On Sunday, Feb. 20, the Johnson girls basketball team (13-8), seeded sixth, met third-seeded Governor Livingston (16-4) in a Union County Tournament quarterfinal round game in Rahway. Johnson won the first encounter this season, 47-44, in Berkeley Heights on Dec. 17 with Governor Livingston taking the rematch, 52-50, in overtime on Jan. 25.
The Final Score: 46-32, Governor Livingston. Johnson came out strong in the first quarter taking a 16-8 lead led by 's 12 points. Governor Livingston scored the first nine points of the second quarter before Pflug connected on a three-pointer and Kate Matthews added a basket to give Johnson a 21-18 halftime lead.
Unfortunately for Johnson, those would be the last points of the game for Pflug. Governor Livingston worked a zone defense to almost perfection in the second half, limiting Johnson to just seven points in the third quarter and only four points in the fourth. With the game tied, 28-28, Governor Livingston started the fourth quarter by scoring the first 12 points before Matthews connected with 1:27 remaining. Governor Livingston is now 2-1 against Johnson this season.
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Key Players: For Johnson, Pflug, the , finished with a game-high 15 points and has now scored 314 points in 21 games (14.95 ppg). Matthews finished with 10 points. Seven different players scored for Governor Livingston, including senior guard Alyssa Polimeni, who had a team-high 13 points along with five assists and five steals. Polimeni was 6-of-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Sam Dowling added 10 points and Mallory George totaled seven points and nine rebounds.
The Quote: “Their change to a zone defense really hurt us," said Johnson head coach Tom Chimel. "We had a tough time connecting passes and getting the right shot we wanted to take. Nothing really went right for us in the fourth quarter, but I give Governor Livingston all the credit. They made the adjustments they needed to."
What’s Next: The Lady Crusaders, who are now 1-2 against Governor Livingston this year, are scheduled to host Hackettstown on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m. before playing at New Providence on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The team will begin play in the NJSIAA state tournament on Monday, Feb. 28 when it hosts Summit in the Central Jersey, Group 2 first round game at 7 p.m.
