It's one thing to talk about high expectations. It's another to achieve them.
The Cranford girls' junior varsity basketball team talked about being good this year, and they backed it up with a strong effort in the Union County Tournament Sunday, defeating Johnson 45-37 at Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle.
"It was a good game, it was a championship," said first year coach Stacy Boff. "I tried all week to keep my girls calm, not to be nervous about anything. We were the better team coming into this game. We came out on top and we showed that we were the better team."
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Victoria Vetter led the Lady Cougars with 13 points, while freshman Aaron Wichelns added 10 points. Danielle Jakubik chipped in with nine.
"I was so happy because my team played the hardest they could," said Wichelns. "They pushed themselves to succeed and we all did a great job"
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"It felt pretty good to win," said Vetter. "We were planning on going all the way and in the beginning we started off slow, but the second half, like our last game, we picked it up and won it. It feels really good."
As was the case time and again this season, Cranford hung tough in the first half, but took control in the second half. Hey, why should it change in the final game of the season?
"I expected it to be a little tight in the beginning until we got a lead," said Boff. "As much as I tell my girls not to be nervous, they're going to be nervous. It's the championship game, a lot is riding on it, I expect it to be tight. Not that close, but close."
"I think the key was to forget what we did in the first half, pick it up and work more as a team," said Vetter who saw her team outscore Johnson 29-17 in the second half. "Everyone was getting bummed out when their shots weren't going in and when everyone picked up their act and did what they were supposed to do, we ended up coming through and winning."
"Our second half is always better," Wichelns said. "We said we have to push ourselves. We just had to work as a team so that's what we did."
Cranford wrapped up their sensational season with a record of 20-1, winning the first county title in the history of the JV girls basketball program.
This was the third time Cranford played Johnson this season. The Crusaders had handed the Cougars their only loss.
"As a team it feels really good," Vetter said. "Because it shows how well we played together this year and that we came all this way and we actually succeeded with what we wanted to happen."
Wichelns, just a freshman, was strong under the boards on both ends of the floor, boxing out and getting rebounds. She's already looking forward to the future.
"It was fun. My whole family plays basketball, so we push ourselves. I love my team, they're amazing, and I can't wait to play with them next year."
"This being my first time coaching them, at the beginning of the season I wasn't really sure what these girls had to give me," said Boff. "But I let them know my expectations and throughout the season I knew we were going to get to the championship game. They knew what I expected out of them and they performed well."
Members of the Cranford JV Girls basketball team include: Bree Capece, Danielle Jokubik, Nicole Kleimann, Jackie Monteagudo, Taylor Pace, Rachel Romano, Kristin VanBenschoten, Victoria Vetter, Aaron Wichelns.
