After Slow Start, Bridgewater-Raritan Overtakes Cranford

The Bridgewater-Raritan boys varsity basketball team played host to the Cranford Cougars Thursday in the last regular season game for the Panthers. 

With Cranford coming in 4-15, the game looked like a warm-up for the upcoming North Jersey Section 2, Group IV NJSIAA tournament next week.

Bridgewater started slow, with shots off the mark and the defense not making its stops. 

The Panthers scored just four points in the opening period with two each from Justin Leeds and Sal Vitello, while Cranford came out strong scoring 12 points with five points coming from Sean Trotter and the remainder from three other contibutors.

In that second quarter, Bridgewater outscored Cranford, 12-11, with points coming from Vitello, Joe Leotta, Leeds and Isiah Solomon. 

The Panthers came out strong and, just three minutes into the third period, the team took the lead and never relinquished it.  Captain Andrew Ortelli scored four different times from the three-point range, and Vitello and Leeds scored two points each. 

Outscoring Cranford 16-3 in the third, it looked like the tide had turned. 

But Cranford had not given up, as six points from Trotter and six more from Reginald Green helped bring the team back.

Still, Bridgewater held on with scoring from Vitello, with six in the period and 12 for the game; Leeds, with six in the period and 12 for the game; and Ortelli, who added four points for the game high of 16 points.

Cranford High School sill compete against Metuchen High School at 7 p.m. tonight.