Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • 22

Daily Record, Morris County; N.J., Monday, March 16, 1998 Revolution Snags Victory D2 State Wrestling D3 By the Numbers D5 Weather D6 Mendham plays tough, still falls in title game .1" 1 I.M.II.J JjW UIBLML.feaiWJW.. J.I. .1 1 IIIUIU.M.. j'H W.WBPH" if. momenram means crown Mendham girls use run, turn away Sterling By Mark Kitchin Daily Recxd By Sandy Seegers Daily Record ATLANTIC CITY The Mendham boys basketball team played hard, worked furiously and proved it belonged in the Group II championship game.

But it found out it was not yet good enough to win a title. With superior shooting inside and on the perimeter, Holmdel defeated Mendham 67-52 in the Group II championship contest last night at the Atlantic City Convention Hall. The Hornets' Adam Fleischner scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds to earn Most Valuable Player honors for the contest and help Holmdel (26-3) to its first Group II title. Jeff Schiffner scored HOLMDEL 67, MENDHAM 52 Group II Boys basketball Final Dawn Benko daily record Mendham's Emily Keber, right, tries to knock the ball away from Sterling's Allison Conway yesterday. advance to the Tournament Of Champions, became only the sixth Daily Record area girls team to take top group honors.

The last team to do so was Jefferson in 1992., "I'm most happy for our seniors," Mendham coach Fred MENDHAM 58, STERLING 40 Group II Girls Basketball Final Corona said. "This was their last chance to do it. They deserve this as does the rest of the team." A 1-3-1 zone defense posed problems for Sterling, which captured Group II crowns in 1989 and 1990. The Minutemen played it the way it always does tenaciously and relentlessly. "We did the same things we've done before," said Jamie Riposta, a senior guard.

"We got in the passing lanes. We moved with the pass." Mendham's 12-point run got it going with 2:42 left in the first quarter. Emily Keber started it by netting two free throws. Riposta and Molly Creamer (15 points) followed with steals and layups. Suminski, a freshman guard, capped it with a 15-foot jumper and a close-range basket off an in- ELIZABETH Bill Ulrich, the Sterling girls basketball coach, expected, dreaded and feared it.

What caused Ulrich to be on edge yesterday was the prospect of Mendham going on one of its lengthy runs, the type that leaves opposing teams shaking their heads and looking for answers. With Sterling on top, 8-6, the Minutemen strung together 12 unanswered points and took a 10-point lead after three minutes had elapsed in the second quarter. i Mendham had two more runs of 10 and eight points before securing its first Group II championship with a 58-40 win over the Silver Knights at the Dunn Center. "That was one of my worst nightmares," Ulrich said. "I was so afraid of that run.

Mendham got the momentum going and we couldn't shut it down. I think the biggest advantage Mendham had was being here last year." The victory, which featured a 16-point effort by most valuable player Kelley Suminski, no doubt helped erase the memory of last season's 68-63 loss to Haddonfield in the group finals. The undefeated Minutemen, who rrr. 7n A unanswered points in 1:55 to widen its advantage to 33-19. Creamer remained hot, making two more baskets.

Establishing the upper hand 'against Sterling was important because the Silver Knights were superb- from the perimeter. Most of their shots came from long including six 3-pointers. Freshman Jessica Copskey (17 points) had a nice touch from the outside. She had several baskets from the corners and had a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. "Copskey's excellent," Ulrich said.

"Mendham's freshman got the MVP. If we win, Jessica is most valuable. Durkin's our leading scorer but she was off. Jessica stepped up and kept us in the game See CHAMPS D2 bounds pass. The Silver Knights (24-5) battled back and, with 1:29 remaining be-: fore halftime, got a 3-pointer from Lauren Durkin to pull within four, 23-19.

Creamer, a junior guard, fired in an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer to send Mendham into the locker room with a 25-19 edge. "Molly's had a knack for hitting big shots like that over the years," Corona said. Creamer, who fired in a 3-pointer one minute before the intermission, simply said that she was open so she took the shot. "We were trying to get the ball to Rip right before halftime," Creamer explained. "They covered the play well.

The shot was just there." Immediately after halftime, Mendham came out and had eight March madness Rhode Island bumps Kansas UCLA outlasts Michigan Harvard women win stunner over Stanford D4 20 points and Nick Shaw added 12 points and had 12 rebounds for Mendham (254). One only needed to look at the stat sheet to figure out Holmdel's success. The Hornets sank 25-of-49 shots, including 5-of-12 3-pointers. Mendham was only 17-of-51 (33 percent) and 5-of-17 from long distance. "We have to get better," Mendham coach Jim Baglin said.

"We just have to get better. That's just the way it is with teams up our way. Basketball is really, really important at Holmdel. It's important to their kids and they are working at their game. That's just the way it is.

We've got to get better." There were plenty of Mendham shots that rimmed out, bounced out and for whatever reason didn't want to roll into the net. Stephan Schrankel, a 6-footr5-inch senior, who had 15 points and Fleischner, who is a 6-2 leaper, made an impact on the Minutemen's struggling ef- 4 Long Branch ends Parsippany's season (Defense stifles by Maurice brooks Daily Record jSparta in final "Schrankel inside bothered us a little bit," Baglin said. "He's a really good player. He's got really long arms. He altered some shots." Mendham didn't seem nervous, but Shaw said that the experience of playing for its first state title in the cavernous Atlantic City hall also may have played a role in the Minutemen's offense being just a little off.

"We could've played a lot better," Shaw said. "It's just a whole new en- by Sandy Seegers Daily Record They are a very athletic team and they dominated us in every aspect." While this was the first group final appearance for Parsippany (25-4), the Green Wave (24-6) came into the game battle tested. Long Branch won the Group II Long Branch 93, parsippany 56 Group III Boys Basketball Final title last year before moving up to Group III this season. It also finished the season as one of the top four teams in the state and have two players, Raheem Carter and E.G. Walden, who are all-state caliber.

Carter and Walden may be the headliners for the Green Wave, but yesterday 6-foot-10 Darnell Tyler See REDSKINS D2 ATLANTIC CITY When the state playoffs come to an end, only one basketball team will be carrying a winning streak into next year. And unfortunately for Parsip-pany, it played one of the strong contenders for that right yesterday. Parsippany's run toward the first group title in school history came to an abrupt stop as the Redskins were defeated by Long Branch, 93-56, in the Group III championship at the Atlantic City Convention Hall. Parsippany trailed by double digits within the first three minutes of the game and were never in position to threaten for the lead. "Their record is deceiving," Parsippany head coach Joe Flanagan said.

"They are probably one of the top five or six teams in the state. I 4 i ELIZABETH Sparta didn't necessarily need to connect on its 3-pointers yesterday. Making any type of outside shot with frequency may have been enough. Strong man-to-man matchup defense by Red Bank Regional took RED BANK REGIONAL 62, i SPARTA 47 Group III Girls Basketball Final viruuiiieiib mi us. uui evco wcxc wide open coming into the building.

We didn't know much about them and we really didn't know what to expect. "We just weren't comfortable. We See MENDHAM D2 TTGue jjys giraGncSf aEnee'Eiioodl. Doris and Llew Decker, the great- BOB DECKER much of the Spartans' perimeter game and helped power the Bucs to a 6247 victory in the Group III final at the Dunn Center. "They're a terrific team and played great defense," Sparta coach Fred Geffken said.

"It's the best defense we've seen. Of course, we missed a few bunnies in there, too, and didn't play well in the first half." Red Bank Regional (23-5) took command early using its press and speed and displayed no jitters in its first state final appearance. Defense, obviously, isn't the See SPARTA D2 Sorry, no story today. No time. It's just that things have been a bit hectic around here.

Leanne Decker Cougle, you see, with an assist from her husband Arthur, presented my wife Mary Ann and me with our first grandchild yesterday morning. Yes. Erin Cougle, middle name pending, was born at 7:42 a.m. at Northwest Covenant Medical Center. She weighed in at an even eight pounds and is 20 inches tall.

And she is absolutely gorgeous. Mother and daughter are doing fine and it seems as if everyone else is doing OK, too. Arthur, the new father, was just grandparents, also made a surprise visit from Milford, Conn. Mary Ann, of course, announced that she had some shopping to do as soon as visiting hours ended. Me? I think I'll wait a few weeks before I get anything for Erin.

I mean, it would help to find out whether she is lefty or righty before ordering her clubs. That's it No time for any more today. Too much stuff to do. I must be going. Besides, I think it's my turn to baby sit.

BOB (Grandpa) DECKER is the Daily Record sports columnist. Dawn Benko daily record starting to calm down a bit by noon yesterday, His folks, Art and Georgia Cougle of Denville, are just thrilled with their fifth grandchild. And Uncle Bob had a pretty good-sized grin on his face when he visited his sister and new niece. Sparta's Adrlenne Warner, left, knows her team's season is over as the clock winds down on yesterday's title game against Red Bank. i tvA 5 at New Jersey's Premier Mercedes-Benz Service Department tSSITVlCS POWERS MOTOR COMPANY Keeping your new or pre-owned Mercedes-Benz running like the day it was delivered is a passion that drives Powers Motor Company to achieve the highest standards of customer satisfaction.

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