By Andy Loigu

Winning three games in five days, the Warren Hills Blue Streaks girls basketball team (24-3) has reached the final for the second year in a row in North Jersey Section 2 Group 3. Talk about a work week!

The keys to their success are their man-to-man help-side defense, with everyone putting out maximum effort and helping each other, plus prolific rebounding prowess on both ends of the floor. Those things will give you a chance to beat anybody and fear nobody, even if you don’t shoot well. The Streaks also go to the free throw line often, while drawing charges on overzealous opponents. When you play well, hustle, and do things the right way, you get the calls.

They defeated Somerville (18-9 including three losses to the Blue Streaks) by a 51-31 score on Saturday before a full house at Warren Hills. They travel to top seeded Chatham for the championship game tonight.

The Streaks trailed the visiting Pioneers 8-5 early but quickly caught up and pulled away. A put-back by Alexa Westley, hitting the offensive boards, gave them a 13-10 lead and two free throws by Advika Thandoni and another by Heather Laffan gave Warren Hills a 23-16 halftime lead. They never trailed again.

Laffan led the Streaks with 13 points and Thandoni produced a double-double, with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.

With everyone on the floor handling and passing the ball well, running a weaving motion offense, the Streaks ran off to a 36-20 lead after Laffan landed an open three pointer and dynamic Nicole Mallard stole the ball, was fouled while scoring a fast-break layup, and canned the “and one” free throw, for a 16-point lead. Down the stretch in the closing minutes the Streaks made 12-of-19 free throws, with Mallard sinking 7-of-11.

“It is hard to beat a good team three times in a season,” coach Meghan McGeehan said after the game, “but there was a motivating drive for redemption going on, because that team beat us in the section final (55-47) last year. Certainly, the numbers will tell you the difference this year was the defense.”

McGeehan said the game plan was to clamp down on Somerville’s two best shooters and deny them the ball as much as possible. 

The Streaks will now be trying to add a third crown to a successful season which already has seen them win the Skyland Conference Valley Division title with a 12-0 division record and their first Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex championship in two decades.

The game at Chatham will be the team’s fourth do-or-die battle in seven days, but McGeehan said the frequency of games and lack of practice time has not bothered the players. “They don’t want the season to end and they just can’t wait to get back on the floor again,” she said.

Laffan scored 19 and Mallard added 12 as the Streaks defeated visiting Payne Tech of Essex County 63-40 in the first round on Tuesday. Thandoni contributed eight points, 11 rebounds and five blocks as Warren Hills dominated.

Next up was West Morris, who fell at Warren Hills 67-37 in the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Laffan was the hot shot, notching 28 points while also making five steals. Mallard scored 20 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and pilfered six steals. Walt Frazier, the NBA Hall of Famer with a distinctive broadcasting style, would say the Streaks were looting and shooting.
Thandoni was rebounding and astounding, pulling down a game-high 15 caroms off the boards while scoring six points. 

MELOFCHIK SETS COUNTY RECORD

At the state championships in Atlantic City, Belvidere’s Quinn Melofchik, a senior, was a medal winner for the second straight year. He finished fifth in the 113-pound division with a 5-3 win over Delbarton’s Nico Nardone. It was his third win against Nardone in five post-season meetings over the past two seasons at regional and state tournaments. On the way to the medals stand, he passed Hackettstown’s Alex Carida to become Warren County’s all-time leader in wins with 145. His record breaking win was a 3-2 decision over Joe Fongaro of Boonton in the first round and then he won a 5-3 decision over Devon Liebi of High Point in the next round.

Cody Harrison, a former Warren Hills wrestler who transferred to Phillipsburg following his sophomore year, captured the third place medal at 152 pounds with a 5-2 decision over Dante Stefanelli of Delbarton at 152 pounds. Harrison made it to Atlantic City in his first two years of high school wrestling as a Blue Streak. He was a senior Phillipsburg Stateliner this time.

***Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.