The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 3

r- MARCH 10. 1996 THE SUNDAY RECORD t-19 NORTH JERSEY SPORTS West Milford can't cope with Elizabeth 6D GROUP 4 would come, 34-28. Green and Smith took Elizabeth on an 9-0 run over the next two minutes to pull away, the first basket coming on a fast-break layup after finally beating the press. 29-16 in the third period before Meaghan Henna, battling the flu, single-handedly took West Milford on a 5-0 run. Elizabeth built its lead back to 34-24 by the end of the quarter, but rattlod offensively when the Highlanders went to full-court pressure for tho final three minutes.

"If we knew it would do them so much harm, we might have went to it Space said. "But we couldn't play it for too long without getting tired." West Milford stayed with the press into the fourth quarter and it payed off, denying Elizabeth even a shot at the basket for first 3:50 of the period. In the interim, Kelly Evans hit two free throws and a basket to bring West Milford as close as it "We took only 15 shots in tho find half and that certainly is not tike our team," said West Milford coach Elmer Zimmerman, whose team finished 23-3 but without the chance to defend its State title. "In certain cases it seemed like we weren't even looking to shoot. Elizabeth's quickness was a definite factor, they gave us no room at all." Senior point guard Leisha Space agreed.

She was faced with intense pressure as soon as she crossed halfcourt. "We really couldn't do anything offensively," said Space, whose club had just 12 first-half points. "They did a great job of denying the ball, so it was tough to get it inside. When we drove to the basket, we PAROCHIAL GIRLS BASKETBALL By JOHN MAYER Correspondent TENAFLY 'Suffocating, intimidating, frustrating. Those were all adjectives used by West Milford's coach and players to describe Elizabeth's man-to-man defense following Saturday's Group 4 State semifinal girls basketball game.

It was all that and more as the Minute-men held West Milford to nearly half its usual point total in recording a 46-33 victory at Tenafly High School. Elizabeth (25-2) will play for its first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association title today on its home floor, the Dunn Center, against Toms River North, a 71-68 winner over Piscataway. By JOE CHESSARI Correspondent ELIZABETH The girl who made a career out of scoring points and show- ing little emotion blinked back tears 15 minutes after peeling off her green basketball uniform for the final time. Maureen Garvey's high school career at DeT Paul is over. It ended Saturday afternoon inside the Dunn Center with a 60-33 loss to Red Bank Catholic in the Parochial State final.

"I think I'm more sad because this is my last game," said Garvey, who three weeks ago became Passaic County's all-time leading scorer during a County semifinal win over West Milford. "You never like to lose." It surely wasn't the way a great player like Garvey wanted to go out. She's given so much to the area, so much to girls basketball. But Red Bank Catholic overwhelmed the Spartans, making it difficult to do just about anything. Garvey, who was thoroughly guarded by junior Abby Crotty, was held to 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, four rebounds, and four steals.

"They were playing great defense the whole game," said Garvey, who will officially close out her high school career during the Bergen-Passaic All-Star Classic on April 13 at Rothman Center. "She Crotty was one of the toughest girls I've played against this year." Crotty, who knows Garvey from their AAU summer days, knew she'd get the assignment of marking the senior southpaw. "I've been watching her play since I was 9-years old," Crotty said. "When she played for West Milford, I played for the Monarchs, and she'd always beat us with great shooting. She's a great player.

It felt good to finally win one against her." Crotty made her presence known at both ends of the floor as the Bucs, making their first State final appearance, took command early. She nailed a pair of three-pointers to give RBC a 6-1 lead. She finished with 11 points on 4-for-9 shootings, including three triples. But it was her defensive job on the future Fordham Ram that people talked about afterward. "She never ceases to amaze me," RBC coach Joe Montano said of the 5-6 nn I i-f.

GIRLS BASKETBALL had to worry about it being blocked." Elizabeth doesn't have great sizo, but its inside players demonst rated superb athleticism, especially Omega Green and Naimuh Smith, both of whom finished with 14 points. Green's basket with a minute left in the first period put Elizabeth up for Rood, 9-7. The Minutemcn scored the first three baskets of the second quarter to go up, 15-7 and they led 23-12 by halftimo, with five different players having scored. The Elizabeth lead grew to as much as ad scoring try by DePaul's Shannon Rafferty Cappodona, a Monmouth-bound center, had 15 points and six rebounds. Wagner-bound Lauren Brutsman added 10 points and eight boards.

"We made too many turnovers, that was the game right there," said DePaul coach Paula Lasalandra, who was making her third State final appearance. "They closed down the passing lanes, didn't give us good looks, and played a strong, strong game defensively." of Bergen's best. Despite a bloody and badly broken nose, Pritzlaff had two takedowns in the final period to outpoint Eric Hall of Voorhees, 8-4. "I had a lot of blood time and I was concerned that he'd recover; he was ffare in ELIZABETH 46, W. MILFORD 33 TATE SEMIFINALS ELIZABETH Nelmah 8mlth S-4-14, Omega QrMn 6-2-14, Leooh Turnege 2-2-e.

Latonya OeBarry 3-0-6, Haneofah Norman 1-2-4. Kadedri Salmon 0-0-0. Jessie vaequei 1-0-2. Totata 18-10-46. Three-point goalei (ion.

WEST MILFORO Wendy Kim 3-1-7, Letahe Spaoa 1-0-7, Meeohan Ram 4'1-10, Kelly Evane 1-2-6, Jackie Dunbar 2-0-4, Becky Austin 0-04, Lli Lapp 0-0-0, Kim McEvoy 04-0. IWata 16-4-33. Thr -point goala: Space, Ronna, Event. M-l eiliebeltl 6141111 4t (23-1) W. Milford 7 6 12 6-M Pompton gets KO'd i by Caldwell By JOHN MAYER Correspondent TENAFLY With a late second-quarter surge in Saturday's Group 2 semifinal girls basketball game, Pompfon Lakes' Maggie Gunderman thought back to her team's come-from-behind upset win over Harrison two rounds earlier.

This time, however, it wasn't meant to be. The Cardinals, who worked so hard to get close just before halftime, couldn't prevent Caldwell from pulling away early in the third quarter as the Chiefs posted a 63-43 victory at Tenafly High School. GROUP 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL Caldwell (26-2) seeks its first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association title today in Elizabeth against Point Pleasant Borough, a 25-24 winner over Voorhees. "I don't think we were expecting Caldwell to come out with that kind of intensity to start the second half," said Gunderman, a senior forward who finished with a game-high 18 points. "It took us a little by surprise." But the third quarter has been Caldwell's best all season, and it was no different Saturday.

The Chiefs hit their first four shots to go on an 8-0 run for a 36-22 advantage. Pompton Lakes, on the other hand, started the quarter 0-for-7 from the field against a much taller and physical Caldwell club. "I thought we could make it a game in the second half if we could do the job on the boards, but that was probably the best rebounding team we've seen all year," said Pompton Lakes coach Robert Olive, who guided his team to a 19-7 record, the best in school history. Pompton never recovered from the slow third-quarter start, shooting a miserable 8-of-31 from the field over the final two periods. The Cardinals went through the same shooting doldrums in the first period, missing their first six shots against a 2-3 zone defense.

"We like to play zone because it gives us the best possible positioning for rebounding," said Caldwell point guard Amanda Petronaci, who finished with 17 points, most of them on slashing moves to the basket despite being just 5-foot-1. Pompton's slow start at the outset helped stake Caldwell to a quick 8-0 lead. The Chiefs led by 10 after one period, but the Cardinals made some inroads in the second period when their outside shots finally started to drop. In a span of three minutes, Jackie O'Connor and Jen Bemstock combined for a trio of three-pointers, the final one cutting the Caldwell lead to 23-18 with 2:10 left in the half. The Chiefs responded with a 5-0 run, but Gunderman hit the final two baskets of the quarter to make it 28-22 at the intermission.

CALDWELL 63, POMPTON LAKES 43 STATE SEMIFINALS POMPTON LAKES Erin Eariey 1-0-3, Maggie Qunderman 6-2-18, Jen Bematodc 2- 0- 5, Jackie O'Connor 4-0-10, Glna Dedlo O-O-O, Kathy O'Connor 1- 3-5, Llaa Mlnettl 0-1-1, Emily Hoefllnger 0-1-1, Tracy O'Nell 0-0-0, Tracy Qoldlng 0-0-0. Cathy Reaaland 0-0-0. Totate 16-7-43. Three-point goal: Eariey, Bemstock, J. O'Connor 2.

CALDWELL Amanda Petronaci 6-5-17, Erin Moatwffl 0-0-0, Kim Rlcharda 3- 0- 7. Glna Ruaaomano 2-0-4, Kamy Zeevalk 1-0-2, Kathy Miller 6- 1- 1 3, Kiraten Roasottl 7-4-18, Caroline Qehlen 0-2-2, Tare Slpper 0-0-0. TotalK 25-12-63. Three-point goala; Richards. (16-7) Pompton Lakea 30 12 9 43 (26-2) Caldwell 12 16 21 14 63 I TODAV9 BOYS STATE FINALS At Rutgera IMveralty Group 4 Teaneck vs.

Shawnee, noon Group 2 Englewood va. PleesantvUe, 2 p.m. Group Snyder va. Rancocaa Valley, 6 p.m. Group 1 Science va.

Paufeboro. 8 p.m. TODAY'S GIRLS STATE FINALS At Elizabeth Group 1 Shabazz vs. Woodrow WUson, noon Group 1 BloomfWd Tech va. Rumson, 2 p.m.

Group 4 Ettzabem vs. Toms River North, 4 p.m. Group 2 CaJdwei vs. Point Pleasant 6 p.m. finale DON SMITHSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER the State Parochial title game.

RED BANK CATH. 60, DePAUL 33 STATE FINAL DePAUL Maureen Garvey 4-1-10, Kelly Ann Charles 5-0-10, Shannon Ralterty 3-0-8, Fran Chlkosky 2-1-5, Marya Bandola 0-1-1, Lauren Basklnger 0-1-1. Totala: 14-4-33. Three-point goala: Garvey. RED BANK CATHOLIC Lauren Brutsman 3-2-10.

Erin Douglass 2-0-4, Angela Cap-padora 8-3-15, Abby Crotty 4-0-11, Amy Nolan 2-2-8, Val Uras 1-0-2, Michelle Cappadora 2-0-4, Erin Dolan 2-1-6. Totals: 22-8-60. Three-point goals: Crotty 3, Nolan 2, Brutsman 2, Dolan. (23-6) DePaul 6 12 11 5 33 (26-2) Red Bank Calh. 17 11 17 15-60 golden tired," Pritzlaff said of Hall.

"Now I want to come back next season, dominate, and have no bloody and broken noses. Right now it's pretty numb. I can't feel a thing." Bitetto, who was practically injury-free for his career, said his place in history will always be compared to Logan. "I'll be remembered as the kid with the yellow singlet," Bitetto said. "Damion has the talent to go to the Olympics; I'll be satisfied with an NCAA championship.

But as friends, we have a bond that can't be any stronger." Logan is well aware of Bitetto's accomplishments, although the gold was on hold for four seasons. He never lost by more than one point in the State tournament, and in each of his first three seasons, he lost to the State bronze medalist. "He came up as a 130-pound freshman, which is a tough weight class to debut in," Logan said of his pal. "I was a 103-pound freshman. It just took Richie a little longer to get his gold.

He's a real workaholic." Although the threesome appeared to have avoided each other's weight classes this season, the yearlong workout partners denied the charges. "Coincidental," Pritzlaff said. "No one ducked the other. No one moved around." Now there will be a movement to stop the Bergen express at this level. Last year, Logan, Prtizlaff, Bergen Catholic's Jim Finn, and St.

Joseph's Frank Lodeserto won titles. This year's champs make it seven golds in two seasons. With the addition of Belleville's Anthony Conte's gold medal at 103 pounds, North Jersey came away with four titles. That makes it nine golds in two seasons. Related story on S-20 Red Bank Catholic's Erin Douglas foils this Crotty.

"Abby always plays the other team's best scorer. She worked hard against Garvey. Garvey didn't have many easy shots. But our whole defense played well." RBC (26-3) had a 20-5 lead early in the second quarter but the Spartans (23-6) trimmed the deficit to 20-14 with an inspired run, led by a pair of layups by junior center Kelly Ann Charles (10 points, six rebounds). But the second half belonged to the Bucs.

MVP Angela reer with a school-record 107 wins against only nine losses. Then there's 145-pound junior Pritz-laff, a two-time champion with another year to launch an assault 'on Logan's County victory mark and assume the title Logan, Bitetto, Pritzla 1Jl i ai By BARRY GRAMLICH Staff Writer ATLANTIC CITY They are the murderers' row of Bergen County three middleweight marauders who stormed Atlantic City Convention Center on Saturday with back-to-back-to-back gold medals and two seniors who left a legacy in North i'v. St. hs Damion Logan, Hacken-sack's k.r.h Bitetto, and Lyndhurst's Don Pritzlarf are the signs of the time for Bergen, and three-time State champion Lo- concluded his sterling career as the county's all-time best. NJSIAA WRESTLING With his 9-3 victory over Dave Bub-nowski of Union in the 135-pound final, Logan won his 122nd career bout, one more than former County leader Jason Hernandez of Bergen Catholic.

He became the state's second four-time finalist, joining Mike Frick of Pope John, and the 12th three-time champion. "Things happen," said a humble Logan, referring to his loss to Phillipsburg's Mike Coyle in the 1994 final while battling a concussion, denying him a place in the record book as the only four-time champ. "I just hope people remember me as a wrestler who was exciting to watch." Just as entertaining was fellow senior 'and best friend Bitetto, who raced to an 8-0 lead before pinning Edison's Mike Ma-linconico with an arm bar and figure four in 3:42 of the 140-pound bout. A four-time State qualifier, Bitetto concluded his ca- Summaries on S-21 Hackensack's Rich Bitetto of Hackensack, Malinconico of Edison in the 140-pound MEL EVANSSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER right, takes a shove to the head from Mike fipal in Atlantic City. Bitetto won title..