The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 21

ht UUUMItM-NtVVb AV: Loss can't erase a magical year Il PISCATAWAY Years from now, the Piscataway players and coaches will think back on this season and smile. They'll marvel about how energetic the crowd was that Monday night in March at the Rutgers Athletic Center, when the Chiefs made it further than any other team in Piscataway history. Yet today, some of the tears will undoubtedly remain in Piscataway after Monday's 53-47 setback to St. John Vianney in the Tournament of Champions final. "None of us should walk out of here with our heads down," Piscataway sophomore the of with these Chiefs earning the first shot at the championship.

"You have to live for the moment, in the moment, and appreciate where you are and what you have right now," Piscataway coach Bev Hall said. "You don't know what's going to happen next year. I think I have a better understanding of where this team has been and where they are now." In a season or two, people may not have forgotten about Jones' near-miss in the final seconds and how it broke Piscata way's heart, or just how close the Chiefs were to winning it all. What they should remember, though, and take from Monday night's game, is how these Chiefs never gave up on their dream. They just ran out of time.

Art Stapleton covers high schools for The Courier-News. 1 cv Hi Courier-News photo by Ed Murray Lisa Guarneri of Piscataway, front, and St. John Vianney's Sandi Haefner battle for a loose ball during Monday's game. CHIEFS: Fall in title game rr. now," he said.

"I felt we were playing in awe of them, not the other way around. I reminded them that we beat them before." That's when Rosato turned the game in Vianney's favor, hitting a tough reverse lay-in and then a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer which got the Lancer supporters, as well as the team, going. Vianney kept it going, and soon Rosato put the game away from the line. "It's disappointing not to win, but we can reflect on what we did later on," Hall said. "This was a team that each player was eager to step in and contribute.

It was a most enjoyable team, a joy to coach." A 1 IHIIiiUllI In i ill Mill IIM' n'-- April Hucklebee (50), Enewean Adjah (35) and Kia Hill (31) were fired up early on the Piscataway bench. great playing for Piscataway, but it's gone now. "They'll be back here next year, right Rasheedah." Even though Guarneri was serious about Piscataway's chances next Chiefs had a memorable playoff run Jessica Guarneri said after the game. "We came out here and played our game, heart and hustle. It hurts because we thought we'd played with enough intensity to win this." Piscataway had its chance one StapletOn that any coach in the state would've taken with the game on the line.

The Chiefs had the ball in the hands of New Jersey's best player five feet from the basket and 16 sec-! onds left on the clock. Junior Asjha Jones had probably made that shot thousands of times since she picked up a basketball spin in the lane, three defenders draped on her back, all net. This time, though, victory bounced off the front rim. "We were dreaming about coming here and winning it all," Guarneri added. "I guess it wasn't our day and it wasn't in the cards.

We had a great opportunity and we'd take it again and again. "The ball didn't bounce our way. We were close." Most teams never get that close. Just ask Piscataway senior Lisa Guarneri, the Chief that lost the most. "I realized that, with about five seconds left, my career was over," the oldest Guarneri said.

"It's been Bev Hall, head coach In her 1 1th year as the head coach, she led the Chiefs to a county, sectional and group title. Asjha Jones Forward, junior Hit the winning free throw with six seconds left to beat Haddonfield in the Tournament of Champions semifinal. Was the leading scorer in 25 games this season, scoring 30 or more points in four of those games. 4 1 Gina Abroscat Guard, Junior Became a starter late in the season, and hit buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to put Chiefs for good in Group 4 final. One of the team's top 3-point shooters along with Lisa Guarneri.

Jen Guarneri Guard, Freshman Another of the Guarnerls who made an Impact on team. Came up from the junior varsity and contributed coming off the bench. A heady player who hopes to fill Lisa's shoes next season. 'ft Art 4 1 hi I A' St Anthony wins third straightTofCtitle PISCATAWAY (AP) Most Valuable Player Anthony Perry had 18 points and four assists and St. Anthony continued its domination of New Jersey with a 69-63 victory over Seton Hall Prep in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions title game Monday night.

Coach Bob Hurley's Friars (29-1) won their third straight of championship and have won the title six times in the nine years the tournament has been held. St. Anthony, which defeated Seton Hall Prep (29-2) in the 1991 final, is 14-1 overall in of games and 6-0 in finals. Perry's two free throws with 2:59 left snapped a 58-58 tie and St. Anthony led for the remainder of the game.

The Friars, who trailed by 11 in the first quarter, made nine of 10 foul shots in the final three minutes to maintain the advantage. i. 4, ft Jackie Fives One of Hall's longtime assistants, Fives is the varsity field hockey coach at Piscataway. March 16, 1997 Group 4 final Piscataway 59, Elizabeth 51 ELIZABETH It was Piscataway junior Gina Abroscat's first bucket of the second half and what will be one of the most memorable in school history. Abroscat's off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter gave Piscataway a 40-33 lead, which the Chiefs held comfortably for the final eight minutes to dethrone Elizabeth, the defending champion.

"I heard the time from the bench Courier-News photo by Kenny Pang first ever Group 4 girls basket- April Hucklebee Forward, Junior Spent the first half of the season on the junior varsity, but has provided needed minutes off the bench and great defense. Yy Continued from Page C-1 "We did everything we could," said Guarneri. "We missed a lot of layups. But it's been a great season." The game had an extremely slow start, with Piscataway only scoring four points in the first four minutes of the game. But, thanks to great defense, the Chiefs led 4-3 after that span.

"It was a game of runs, we had them, they had us," said Hall. "But you can't take away from Rosato." Vianney took a 13-12 lead after one, but Piscataway's defense turned up the heat in the second quarter, holding the Lancers to just three points, while scoring nine and taking a 21-16 lead at intermission. The Chiefs had a chance to expand the lead once the second half started, but it was Vianney that got rolling instead. And it took a pep talk by Vianney coach Nick Russo to get his team going. "I just told them that they had worked too hard to let it all get away Lisa Mann Hall's other assistant coach, Mann is also the head coach of the junior-varsity team.

and I was calling for the ball," said Abroscat, who finished with 10 points. "It was a prayer shot." And Piscataway's prayers were answered as the Chiefs captured their first ever Group 4 title. March 21, 1997 Tournament of Champions semifinals Piscataway 45, Haddonfield 44 ELIZABETH Piscataway began to play not to lose in the final quarter and its season almost ended because of it. But as Haddonfield guard Pilar Prassas' game-winning 3-pointer bounced off the side of the rim as time expired, the Piscataway players celebrated their school's first-ever trip to the of final. "I thought it looked good," Piscataway junior Asjha Jones said of Prassas' shot.

"I was just hoping it wouldn't go." Piscataway's all-out hustle and pressure defensively caused problems for Haddonfield out of the gate to start the second half. Yet just as the Chiefs built a commanding 44-33 lead, they slowed the pace down to preserve the victory. And Haddonfield took advantage, holding Piscataway without a field goal for five minutes and knotting the score with 38 seconds remaining. That's when Jones, however, sealed the victory by hitting one of two free throws with six seconds left. "This was winning ugly," said Piscataway coach Bev Hall.

SI. Rasheedah Celestand Guard, Junior Sister of former Piscataway star and current Villanova starter John Celestand, became a great defensive player during the playoffs and is one of the team's vocal leaders. Courier-News photo by Ed Murray season when she joked with teammate Rasheedah Celestand, a return to the of final is possible but improbable. Only three other teams from The Courier-News area had ever reached Brunswick to match up with," Piscataway coach Bev Hall said. "But the other girls are the foundation of the team." March 13, 1997 Group 4 semifinals Piscataway 61, Southern Regional 38 EWING TOWNSHIP Same building, same round, different result.

Piscataway took out a year's worth of frustration and disappointment on Southern Regional at Ewing High School and used a 40-21 second half to erase bitter memories of a loss to Toms River North that ended last season. The Chiefs led the entire game and broke open a 21-17 halftime lead with their stifling defense and stellar transition game, spurred by Asjha Jones' 21 points. After a scoreless first half, sophomore forward Jessica Guarneri connected for 14 during Piscataway's game-breaking run. "We kept our heads in the game, but this was a team effort," Guarneri said. "Last year lingered in our heads, and we wanted this game." Senior point guard Lisa Guarneri tallied six of her 15 points in the first quarter and echoed her younger sister's sentiments.

"This is the best team I've ever played one, and we take each game one step at a time," she said. A week ago, the Chiefs won their ball title. jiiijmuiiu, i. i Kia Hill Guard, Freshman Came off the bench to contribute at both ends of the court. Has a good shot and has tremendous potential, according to coach Bev Hall.

III PISCATAWAY (47) Lisa Guarneri 8-1 -1 7, Asjha Jones 1 1 -1 -23, Jessica Guarneri 1- 0-2, Shanta Scott 0-0-0, Gina Abroscat 2-0-5. Totals 22- 2- 47. ST. JOHN VIANNEY (53) Amanda Rosato 7-7-24, Sandi Haefner 1-2-4, Erica Rath 5-4-14, Toni Panza 1-0-2, Regan Apo 2-0-5, Jill De Young 1- 2- 4. Totals 17-15-53.

Piscataway (29-2) 12 9 11 15-47 St. John Vianney (30-1) 13 3 23 14-53 3- point goals Abroscat. Rosato (3), Apo. Lisa Guarneri Guard, Senior Provided leadership on the team and had great ballhandling and playmaking skills. Scored 23 points against Elizabeth in Group 4 final and was named game's Most Valuable Player.

Shanta Scott Forward, Junior Strong defender who usually guarded the opposing team's best player. A true stopper on defense who also contributed on offense when needed. Created chances under the boards. iwnufc. I IS.

Stephanie Croley Forward, Sophomore Added speed and defense when she was on the court. Is team's fastest player, can get up and down the court quickly. 'i Jessica Guarneri Center, Sophomore Lisa's younger sister, the true emotional leader of the team. Added tons of adrenaline and spark to team's effort. Contributed critical points In every game.

T-7 mmmmammwmwwrm ''r: i ixr- i 1 rtr ii ii Despite losing Monday night, the Chiefs had a remarkable run through the state playoffs. March 5, 1997 Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals Piscataway 67, Hillsborough 46 PISCATAWAY Last season, Pis-cataway-Hillsborough would've been a dream matchup between two of the top teams in The Courier-News area. One year later, it wasn't even close. Four players hit double figures for Piscataway, which led by as many as 30 points in the third quarter and rolled to the victory behind sophomore forward Jessica Guarneri's 18 points and 10 rebounds. "We did nothing different for this game that we have for any other game," Piscataway coach Bev Hall said.

"We pressured them to see if they could handle our press, and they couldn't." Junior center Asjha Jones added 17 points for the Chiefs against Hillsborough's zone defense, while junior guard Gina Abroscat canned three treys just before the half for a commanding 35-16 edge. March 7, 1997 Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals Piscataway 64, West Windsor-Plainsboro 43 PISCATAWAY Junior center Asjha Jones scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Piscataway. Senior point guard Lisa Guarneri added 21 points and eight assists for the Chiefs, who advanced to play East Brunswick for the fourth time in a rematch of last year's Group 4 final. March 11, 1997 Central Jersey Group 4 final Piscataway 63, East Brunswick 40 HIGHTSTOWN East Brunswick knew it had to stop Piscataway's one-two punch of senior Lisa Guarneri and junior Asjha Jones to walk away with a sectional title. Yet for the fourth time this season, the Bears still couldn't stop the unstoppable.

Jones hit for 17 points and 23 rebounds, while Guarneri scored a team-high 19 for the Chiefs, who captured their second straight CJ Group 4 championship. "Asjha and Lisa are tough for East vv I 4 i Enewean Adjah Forward, Sophomore Despite seeing little playing time, has been a hard worker In practice. Has become a very coachable player. fcyl.