Hoopsters Knocked From State Tournament (With VIDEO Highlights)

This game will be remembered for some time to come, but not for the reasons the Cougars had hoped for.

Holding a 13-point lead late in the third quarter, the Cranford boys basketball team couldn't buy a bucket in the fourth quarter. Visiting Warren Hills found their missing touch just in the nick of time, coming back to edge the Cougars 50-43 Monday in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Group 3 Section 2 state tournament in Cranford.

"We let it get away," said head coach Ryan Huber. "We tried to execute, we missed too many easy lay-ups. (Defensively) we gave up just 25 points in three quarters, then we gave up 25 points in the fourth, it's unacceptable."

Early on, both teams seemed to be off their game when it came to shooting, with the Cougars holding an 8-6 lead after one quarter and a 18-15 lead after a low-scoring first half.

The Cougars finally found their shot in the third, outscoring the visitors 20-10, going on a 10-0 run to start the second half, while stretching their lead to 28-15. It was thanks to some clutch shooting from Sean Trotter and Kendall Grier, as well as some nifty passing by point guard Nick Pace.

Grier led the Cougars with 15 points and 6 rebounds, Trotter had 12 points, including three clutch three-pointers, three steals and four assists, Pace added seven points, six assists and two steals, Will Green had six points and seven rebounds, and sophomore Chris Gross had 11 rebounds and four blocks to go along with three points.

"Nick did some nice things for us," Huber said. "He got into the lane, dished the ball, we weren't able to finish as well as we had in the past. It does hurt that we had a week off from Tuesday to now with all the snow. We can't use that as an excuse. They (Warren Hills) were on a roll, they won six in a row, they've been playing every other day which has helped them, and unfortunately, we let things get away from us."

In the fourth quarter, the Cougars watched their double-digit lead quickly dwindle away. Warren Hills star Olden Goldson was held at bay for the first three quarters, but showed his quality in the fourth, when he scored 15 of his game-high 22 points.

But Goldson wasn't the only reason for Cranford's loss.

"I think we played a little bit too passive," said Huber. "I thought we felt that we had a lead, we could kind of coast a little bit. In the fourth quarter we got away from that a little bit too much. We played a little bit of shellfish basketball. We stopped making the extra pass, we went a little cold in a spurt and it really hurt us."

The home team found themselves trailing later in the fourth quarter. Warren Hills' defense cut off Cranford's opportunities from the perimeter, making it difficult to score in the paint. It all added up to a stunning loss for the 2010 Union County Conference champions, who were outscored in the final quarter 25-5.

Warren Hills will have a tough task in the second round, when they travel to face Newark Eastside on Wednesday. The Tri-Conference champions improved their overall record to 14-13 on the season.

As for Cranford, they bid farewell to their group of talented seniors, who helped pave the way to a championship.

"This is the first group that I've been with all four years," said Huber. "It's a great group of kids. We have five seniors, Will Green, Kendall Grier, Greg Goode, Spencer Friere and Nick Pace. They all gave a lot to the program, and hopefully these younger guys see what they gave and the sacrifices they made and we can keep going forward."

And while it's hard to look right now on what will be considered a successful season, the Cougars have a lot to be proud of. They went from nine wins a year ago to a 13-9 record and their first conference title in 40 years. No one can take that success away.

"They'll be able to bring their kids back here and look and say I was on that team," Huber said. "I'm sure the stories will grow a little bit, but it's a great accomplishment."

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