The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 27

THE COURIER-NEWS Rutgers- Monday, March 16, 1S87 D-5 A i av ft 1 ft rr ui Academy. Courter-News photo by Caroline E. yj 1. AJS 4Kt Jim Lane gets off a jump shot during championship victory over Christian Brothers Union Catholic teams supply double pleasure for fans "This was a team victory," said Durham, who was hoisted upon the shoulders of her teammates at the conclusion of the game. "Sure, I scored 30 points, but if the other girls don't do their job, we.

get blown out "I was blessed with God-given ability and my father (Jim) always stayed on me to keep working," she continued. "This was a great way to end my career." It certainly was. After all, a state championship team was just about the only thing she hadn't been a part of during her high school career. Durham finished with 2,570 points in four years of varsity competition, and they came on long, arching jumpers and spectacular driving layups. Even the shots she missed were exciting, because most other girl players would never try to do some of the things that Durham attempted.

In her four seasons of behind-the-back dribbles and blind passes, Kris Durham, in her own way, raised the level of quality and changed the face of girls' basketball in the state of New Jersey. And, last night, she bowed out in an appropriate way as a winner. And the girls' basketball fans of this state will never forget her. couldn't adjust I know I never ran into so many people when I was on offense. It was very frustrating." Moreland finished with 22 points in 37 minutes, but she managed just nine points in the second half and most of them after the fact Grentz said she will hold a pair of practice sessions today one tomorrow morning before leaving for Fayette-ville tomorrow night The team will then practice at the tournament site Wednesday afternoon.

"We'll be looking at film on N.C. State Monday and we'll also look at them in our game last year (a resounding 83-56 Rutgers win in Pis-cataway)," Grentz said. NOTES: With Texas now a part of the four-team field, Yow expects the arena to be sold out both Thursday night and Saturday afternoon. The Coliseum capacity is 5,500 Incredibly, the Raleigh Times-Observer does not cover the N.C. State women on the road and uses a special correspondent for home games.

In fact no paper in the state covers the team regularly with a beat said Lady Wolfpack averaged about 1,800 fans per game this season at home. To Grentz, that statistic further backs her theory. "There is a perception that the only quality women's basketball is played below the Mason-Dixon line," she said. "Well, we were one of two division 1 women's teams in the nation to outdraw our men's program. Most of those schools down there don't come close." throws to put the Vikings back up, 30-29, and Lane followed that up with a layup off a pass from Shawn Evans to make it 32-29, Union Catholic.

With 4:17 left, Evans directed an alley-oop pass to a flying Mitchell for a layup to make it 34-29, and, with the noisy Union Catholic faithful sensing the upset, Mitchell went end-to-end for a layup to entend the Vikings' lead to 36-29 with 3:30 left. Union Catholic was in charge, and Eric George made five of seven free throws down the stretch to seal the victory and guarantee the Vikings of a glorious place in state basketball history. CHRISTIAN BROTHERS Crotty 4-14, l-J-, Altnavr 1-5, 0-0-2, DowcWI 1-11, 4-7-lt, Paterno 2-13, J-4-7, Hart 0-1, 1-3-1, Haran 0-0, 0- 00, McGowan 0-2, 0-00, Sullivan 0-0, 0-00, Donahut 1- 1, 0-0-2, Knavar 0-0, 0-6-0. Tolall 14-47, 11-173. UNION CATHOLIC (44) Mitchell 5-.

1-2-11, Lane 6-10, 1-2-13, George 1-4, 5-7-7, Horne 5-7-, Evam 0-2, 1-31, Heaiv 1-1, 0-1-2, Maves 0-0, 1-21, Halilhoffer 0-0, 0-0-0. Tolall 15-30, 14-24-44. Haiftimr Union Camollc 21, Christian Brothers IS. Fouled out twne. Rebounds Christian Brothers 26 (Dow- dell 13), Union Catholic 29 (Mitchell, Lane 7).

Assists Christian Brothers 9 (Hart 3), Union Catholic 10 (Evans 6). Total fouls-Christian Brothers 22, Union Catholic 17. TechnicalsMitchell. Champs Continued from Page D-l this year's 1987 high school state tournament would be approximately $120,000. That includes the boys and girls games since opening round play.

I don't know about you, but I'd pay to see Eric Murdock and West go against Victor Carstarphen and Camden. And I'd love to see coach Neil Home match wits with Hurley and the boys from Jersey City. Not everyone would. "I'm happy with the way things are," Home said, holding his Parochial A trophy. "I just want to quit right here and get out as champions.

We beat the No. 1 team in the state, so I guess we're No. 1. 1 don't care if there are any more playoffs." A lot of others do. And the time is right.

ing four from the foul line. They took their first lead of the game with 1:38 left Robyn Korchick took a pass from Cyborski and drove to the basket for a layup. Union Catholic got two shots from Durham, a jumper and her follow off the first miss, but came up empty. Durham then teamed, with Wysocki for the game-winning play. "I said earlier this year that winning a state championship didnt seem that important to me it wasn't one of my goals," Durham said.

"But as the season went along it became more important to me. It feels great" For Matthews, 11 years of hard work were finally rewarded on a night that also saw the Union Catholic boys team win the state championship. "It has been a long time," Matthews said excitedly. "We have worked so hard for it It took me 11 years, but thank God it is finally here. Once Cheryl made the free throws I knew it was all over.

I knew she was going to make them both I never had any doubt about it" WnOn CATHOLIC (45) I Dufiwn 11-23, l-0. Coo 31, Wvtottl M. I t-. tedowsui 1-1, Devwi 1-1, e-o-j, Neweti e-1, I -0-0, Triimout e-2-J, tamer oh e-e, e-0- Tewt 17-37, ll-Vs-45. MCCORRHTHI (411 i CvMrMI MB, 11-12-15, KorcMct 4-H.

-11 Mmtt -1- Mover 1-5, Onion 0-1. 9-4 2'oe 2-1, 1 B-B-4, Oreen 1-3, Toteis 13-ail, 11-24-42 I Kaftxt union Cethonc 21, McCorristin It Fouled Out none. Reminds -union Ca'rmic 20 (Our nam t), McCorrif i ini 32 (Korcwrt 111. Assists Union Camenc 11 (Coo, 1 Sadewtkl 1), McCorrts'M (wmii. own li.

Total touu i UMen Cethonc 17, McCorrisiM 15 Technictn-McCarrlsioiv I tee monv Kevrs an court. A 3,000. "It's a feeling you can't put into words," Moriau said. "I've been here for six long years and we worked hard for this one." MfWACUUTA (M OtvM -N, 1-1 1. SuMvex M-t, aem -e-li pemcane 0-4, --43.

Sanwe t-t 13. Oe-f avis e-O-J, mwaMter Terns Ji-4), u- ttHOf tWTTACI (W Vet Ml, f-l4. 5-1 I-4-1J, Km Mcoextr M. 2-2-4, MWnin-, M-4, Bernert J-U, t-t-12. KWfl Ttee t-t, 4-4-4, KM AAcOener M-- Tote H-fl, ti-14-4 HetM: KTvnaaxa't lhM 11.

uf Kerrt McQehtv. Rnwund lrnmecuete 27 (OrevMi 11), B'tneo us'ece 15 (Weiss, James, '(ft 5) Assists kvmacmett 13 ISuWven 4), Bisoa Eus'ece 13 (Hwmen 4), Total fcuie tmmecMWtt 14, mum Cuttec 15, A 751 Continued from Page D-l with and putting Missy Lender in, but I knew whoever I left out would be mad, so I said the hell with it and let 'em both start," she said). Of the first five Rutgers possessions, baskets re suited on four of them and Howard had two of those. "That opening stretch," Grentz said, "was the key for us." Wicks, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes, agreed. "After that run, we knew we were going to win and I think Duke knew it too." Howard went from that first few minutes to finish in a flourish with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Telicher Austin continued her outstanding tournament play with 17 points and five assists in 35 minutes. But Grentz saved her deepest praise for the other guard, 5-foot-6 Janet Malouf. The Lady Knight point guard, who had eight points and six assists in 35 minutes, was assigned to chase Duke standout Chris Moreland, a 6-foot-1 forward who the ACC player-of-the-year this season. "Janet was incredible," Grentz said. "We gave her that job in our triange-and-two (Austin covered 5-foot-11 Katie Meier while the others played zone) and she did exactly what we told her to do." Which was confuse Duke.

"I was surprised they had Malouf on me in the second half," Moreland said. "They really confused us and we Boys- Continued from Page D-l And the Colts, who were averaging nearly 80 points per game this season, were limited to a shooting percentage of 29.8 for the contest and failed to scored a basket in the second quarter. Playing deliberately on offense from the start, Union Catholic trailed, 10-8, after one quarter. But the Vikings got six points from Lane and four from Neil Home in the second quarter to surge ahead, 21-15, at the half, much to the surprise of the overflow crowd. "We knew that Crotty liked to shoot the ball in the half-court game, not pass it, so we made sure we had two guys on him when he got the ball," said Home.

"Crotty and Paterno are the shooters on that team, so we kept an eye on them as much as possible." But Paterno (2-13 from the floor), Crotty and their teammates would not go down easily. Christian Brothers came out strong in the second half, and when Crotty banked in a 12-footer from the right side, the Colts were within 22-21 with 3:31 left in the third period and had the crowd and the momentum on their side. But Union Catholic would not fold under the pressure. Mitchell coasted in for a layup on a baseline drive, Healy put back a miss and Lane, the game's most valuable player, streaked in from the right side, caught a pass from Mitchell in midair and dropped in a layup to give the Vikings a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter. Christian Brothers made one more run and, once again, the determined Vikings turned the Colts back.

Crotty had a three-point play and junior forward Marc Dowdell, who led Chris-tain Brothers with 18 points and 13 rebounds, banged in a short jumper to tie the game at 29-all with 5:36 to play. Home then made one of two free Couig Girls- Continued from Page D-l McCorristin rushed downcourt, but Linda Cyborski misfired on a 15-foot-er. The rebound went long and Vicky Green had a chance to follow, but her shot was long. Durham grabbed the rebound and passed to Cop, who was immediately fouled. The sophomore stepped to the line and sank both free throws for a 45-42 lead.

The Vikings' first state title was sealed when Pam Trumbull, who played a solid inside game all night blocked Dorothy Mayer's driving shot with six seconds left. "There is nobody we would rather have on the line in clutch situations than Cheryl or Kris," Matthews said, dripping wet after her team soaked her with water after the game. "And Cheryl hit them both, she is so cool for a sophomore. I think I have the best backcourt in New Jersey." Union Catholic took a 21-19 lead into the lockerroom at the half. It was a defensive struggle the rest of the way after the Vikings scored 11 of the first 13 points.

The third quarter belonged to Durham. She scored 12 points on five-for six shooting. She scored a pair of three-point plays on drives to the hoop. Her team ended the period with a six point lead thanks to a solid defensive effort But McCorristin started to heat up in the fourth quarter. The Iron Mikes got six points from Cyborski, inclu Couig Immaculata Continued from Page D-l She's been there before and we wanted the ball in her hands." Weiss hit an uncontested layup at the buzzer for Eustace's final points of the season, but by then Immacula ta's celebration had begun.

In addition to Greybek's 19 points, ImmaculaU got 13 points and three assists from Patty Sanford, and 11 Eints and three assists from Tracey abbitt Sullivan finished with nine points and three assists. By TOM LONG Courier-News Staff Writer I LINCROFT It will be a long time before anyone associated with athletics at Union Catholic High School forgets about what transpired at Brookdale Community College here last night. The Scotch Plains-based school had never won a state basketball championship prior to this season. But, last night, Union Catholic returned home with two championships, as the Vikings beat McCorristin of Hamilton Township, 45-42, to win the Parochial A girls' championship and the Union Catholic boys stunned Christian Brothers Academy, 44-39, to capture the state crown. The last school to turn the trick state championships in boys' and girls' basketball in the same season was St.

Anthony's of Jersey City, which did it in 1984. The victory by coach Neil Home's boys' team was unexpected, to say the least CBA was unbeaten against New Jersey competition and had lost only to Flint Hill Prep of Virginia and Miami Lakes of Florida, two national powerhouses. But, by following a masterful game plan to near- Ah a iw- perfection, Union Catholic (22-5) beat the team that many observers believed to be the best in the state. "We made them play the game the way we wanted it," senior forward Alan Mitchell said. "We had nothing to lose in this game.

Coach Home gave us a game plan, we trusted it and we followed it." The Vikings, despite losing starting forward Maurice Bulluck late in the regular season, got key contributions from all their starters Mitchell, Jim Lane, Eric George, Neil Home and Shawn Evans and reserve Brian Healy in the state tournament to come out of nowhere and capture the Parochial A championship. For coach Kathy Matthews and the Union Catholic girls, this year's championship marked the end of a long wait and the end of an era, as senior All-America guard Kris Durham played her final high school game. The multi-talented Durham finished with 30 points and nine rebounds to earn most valuable player honors in the Vikings' victory over McCorristin, including a steal and a layup that gave Union Catholic the lead for good at 43-42 with 42 seconds left in the game. after winning state championship. Immaculata had just two seniors In its starting five.

But those two seniors, and the game-tough play of the others led the Spartans to their first state championship in the 25-year history of the school. The two seniors, Donna Greybek and Kerry Jo Sullivan, combined to score 28 points for coach Tom Moriau. Greybek scored a game-high 19. Sullivan hit four free throws In the final 30 second! of the game to seal the win. The State Championship.

It was won in Monmouth County, but the battles the Spartans fought In Somerset County and the Mountain Valley Con ference set it all up. Of the Spartans' four losses, the bigest margin of defeat was six points. That was a 42-36 loss to Ridge in the Somerset County finals. In addition to the losses, the team played three close games in its first three Parochial Tournament contests. A Jf inn 1 pi mi Couror-Ntw Photo by Ctroimo E.

ft Kris Durham (33) and her teammates rejoice 4 defeats state tile Lessons learned in help to By KEVIN WHITMER Courier-News Staff Writer "All those games helped us," Immaculata coach Tom Moriau said. Perhaps the biggest help of all was a 48-44 win over Morris Catholic in the North Jersey sectional semifinals. The Spartans battled top-seeded Morris Catholic for three overtimes before four free throws in the final three minutes sealed the verdict "The Morris Catholic game told me these girls were ready," Moriau said. "That game reminded me a lot of today's game. "We have been in the pressure games before," he continued.

"The girls bent and bent all year, but never broke." Yesterday's game was a perfect example. LINCROFT The banner will hang proudly in their Somervllle gymnasium, reading "ImmaculaU High School. Girls' Parochial Champions. 1986-1987. 24-4." They won 24 games.

But the four losses were just as important They learned from every one of them. Each loss was a battle, as were some of the wins. Games that builu character. Games that make you want to win more and more each time out The Immaculata High girls' basketball team won a state championship yesterday at Brookdale Community College over a young and inexpert enced Bishop Eustace team from Pennsauken..