By Andy Loigu

A wonderful Warren Hills girls hoops season came to an eerie ending on Thursday evening, bringing to mind the ponderable, if nobody was there to see it, did it really happen?

Due to precautions taken by school officials to stem the tide of the contagious coronavirus, sectional champions Warren Hills and Ramapo played in an empty Bergen County gym in the state Group 3 semifinal. With a game-ending 8-1 spurt Ramapo won 55-48, to advance to a state final which may not even get played. There were 11 lead changes in the game.

The Blue Streaks finished their season with a 22-9 record.

It was the final game in what should soon be a Warren Hills Hall of Fame career for Heather Laffan.

Laffan graduates as the first Warren Hills girl since Katie Terhune to score over 1,000 career points and play for a sectional champion. Laffan also has played for a Skyland Conference and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex champions. Rare air.

McCARTHARN’S BID HALTED IN AC

In now concluded winter sports season, sophomore Blue Streaks wrestler Tyler McCatharn compiled an amazing 37-6 record. More athletic and nimbler on his feet than most of the heavyweights he faced, he led Warren Hills to its first conference championship in 30 years this season.

In  Atlantic City, McCatharn won a match over one of the state’s top rated wrestlers, New Brunswick’s Keshon Davila, but he split his four matches 2-2 and hopes the experience will enable him to go farther next year on the big stage by the Boardwalk.

Another sophomore, Stephen Malia, had a sizzling 34-9 record, but was unable to win against experienced top wrestlers in AC. Wait until next year!

CHEERS FOR THE CHEERLEADERS

The Warren Hills cheerleaders deserve praise for their seventh place finish at the UCA National Championships in Orlando last month. They were only one of two New Jersey varsity teams to make the finals and they were the Garden State’s highest placing team, coming in seventh out of 34 teams.

Coach Elizabeth Horvath indicated that 60 percent of her team are honor roll students and 45 percent have earned high honors. Several of them take part in student government, track, lacrosse, softball, and other extracurricular activities.

Team members include Kelli Knowles, Brooke Motzer, Ashleigh Knorr, Brooke Yencha, Hailey Cavanaugh, Mia Albergato, Madi McKenna, Emily Read, Rylan Hult, Kaitlyn DeGeorge, Olivia Claffey, Natasha Waslik, Rylee and Ava Rhinehart, Mia Nisivoccia, Renee Lake, Sydney Adetula, Sam Lipinski, Lyia Gunderson, and Hannah DeVoe.