Girls basketball Greater Middlesex Conference, southern Union County notebook
The East Brunswick High School girls basketball team played two games with outcomes decided by a combined total of three points last week.
After dropping a 55-54 decision at Monroe in the final seconds on Thursday night, the Bears bounced back to capture a 50-48 victory in the final minute against Piscataway on Saturday.
The seeds for Saturday’s victory were planted during a virtual practice on Friday, according to East Brunswick coach Travis Retzlaff. Retzlaff, with school not in session due to the anticipated snow on Friday, he held practice via zoom and quickly addressed Thursday’s dramatic loss to Monroe.
“It was a devastating game for us,” said Retzlaff, whose club watched Monroe’s Evangelina Francisco sink two free throws with 2 seconds on the clock. East Brunswick suffered a 57-53 setback to Monroe in December.
“During our virtual practice, we emphasized the next play, the next page and the girls really bought into it,” the coach said. “I read a couple passages from (Mike Krzyzewski) and (Kobe Bryant) about the next-play mentality. We had a good discussion after that. They were ready to make the next play when we took the court against (Piscataway).”
More: Girls basketball rankings: Greater Middlesex Conference and area UCC Top 10
East Brunswick’s Jorden Oster made the final play as she sank a layup to snap a tie and give East Brunswick the hard-fought, 50-48, Red Division victory against the Chiefs.
“We experienced the beauty of the Red Division,” Retlaff said. “It’s always a grind, it’s always a battle. There are no cheap wins in the Red Division.”
Number 4 is No. 1 in points at Colonia
Reigning Home News Tribune Player of the Year Taylor Derkack started this week with 1,690 points in her scholastic career, more than any player (female or male) has scored wearing a Colonia uniform.
Derkack poured in 30 points in Saturday’s 60-57, comeback victory against sixth-ranked South Brunswick to surpass Colonia graduate Nick Smith, who concluded his career with 1,672 points for the Patriots. Derkack passed former teammate and her best friend last week, all-time girls’ leading scorer Mattison Chiera, a freshman at William Paterson, who scored 1,514 points at Colonia.
The UMass-bound Derkack is averaging 22 points per game for the season, but has poured in 107 points in Colonia’s last four games for a 27-point average. Derkack also pulled down her 1,000th rebound last week, notching 19 boards vs. Newark Central and 23 rebounds against Chatham.
First place Indians
Rahway sits in first place in the Union County Conference’s Valley Division. The Indians, coached by Jorge Gutierrez, are 6-1 in the Valley Division and an overall record of 8-5, which includes a setback to GMC member Metuchen.
Makaila Desire, a junior, leads the way for Rahway, averaging 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals per game. She scored a season-high 25 points in a victory at North Brunswick in December.
Rahway still needs to play twice against second place Brearley, contests which should help determine the UCC Valley Division champ. The Indians are scheduled to face Roselle, Union and Matawan this week.
3 STARS
Here are some of the top performances from last week in the GMC:
Rhaiyna Brown, Timothy Christian: She scored 28 and 29 points, respectively, in victories against New Brunswick and Mother Seton last week. Brown, a freshman, sank a combined seven 3-pointer and 31 trifectas in 11 games this winter. She’s averaging 23 points and, five steals for the Tigers, who are 7-4 and 6-2 in GMC Gold Division.
Courtney Edmundo, Piscataway: A senior, Edmundo posted a double-double in victories against Bound Brook (20 points and 12 rebounds) and Old Bridge (16 + 13) last week. Edmundo averages 13 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Chiefs (7-7).
Kaelynn Hester, North Plainfield: She averaged 19 points and six steals last week in victories against Perth Amboy, Edison and Sayreville as the Canucks stretched their winning streak to eight games. Hester, a sophomore, is averaging 14 points, five rebounds, four steals.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Woodbridge at North Plainfield, 5 p.m. Tuesday: The Barrons will attempt to give third-ranked North Plainfield its first setback in division play this season. Woodbridge suffered a 56-31 setback to first place North Plainfield on Jan. 2.
Timothy Christian at Dunellen, 4 p.m. Wednesday: Dunellen will try to slow down Timothy Christian’s Rhaiyna Brown, who averages 23 points per game, in this Gold Division clash. Dunellen has won seven of eight, and sits in first place in the Gold Division. Timothy Christian dropped a 41-34 decision to Dunellen earlier this season.
St. Thomas Aquinas at Monroe, 5 p.m. Thursday: The top-two teams in the GMC Red Division meet in a key conference clash. Monroe’s Evangelina Francisco netted four 3s and a game-high 20 points in the first meeting, a 67-57 St. Thomas Aquinas victory on Jan. 4. Jordan Barnes posted a double-double (18 points and 11 rebounds) in the first meeting for the Edison parochial school.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Girls basketball Greater Middlesex Conf., area Union County notes
