Hoopsters Top Summit for Fourth Win in a Row

The Cranford High School boys' basketball team took on the Summit Hilltoppers in front of a home crowd, and came out with a 48-34 win that puts the Cougars at 6-3 on the season and a contender in games to come.
   
"We had to play 32 minutes tonight," Coach Ryan Huber said after the game.  "We held them to 28 points for almost four quarters."
   
Several Cougar players established themselves in the first quarter as threats on offense. Kendall Grier hit Will Green twice for a layup both times, Chris Gross added a layup of his own, and Grier and Green each went 1-for-2 from the foul line.  At the end of the first quarter, the Cougars led 12-10.
   
The Cranford defense was stellar held the Hilltoppers to just six points in the second quarter. Grier's passing kept the Cougars moving forward; he seemed to find Green on nearly every possession for two points. 
   
Nick Pace came off the bench and got on the board with a deep bucket. Gross used his size and agility in the paint, capping off the second quarter with a buzzer-beater and 12 points at the half. 
   
The Cougars came out of the half ready to add to the 24-16 lead. Grier assisted Gross, Green and Pace traded layups, while Sean Trotter and Joe Papandrea added jump shots to give Cranford 39 points after three quarters. 
   
Their defense held Summit to just seven points in the third quarter. It was 39-23 Cranford going into the final eight minutes.
   
Summit tried to close the gap in the fourth quarter, to no avail. Gross had a huge block and two layups, while Green went three-for-four on foul shots. 
   
"We've got to work on the foul line," Coach Huber said regarding the Cougars' performance on free throws. "We're getting better every day. We played three games this week and won all three, and the boys are going to rest up."
   
Chris Gross's 20 points on the evening put the Cougars in a great spot to get a win, He was proud of his teammates' performances as well as his own.
   
"I went strong to the hoop," Gross said. "I rebounded the ball well, but we played as a team. We weren't worried about who scored the most points, we worried about getting the 'W.' "
   
Gross agreed with Coach Huber on one area that could use some improvement, and offered other areas where the Cougars can step up their level of play.
   
"Turnovers - our D (defense) can have lapses," he said. "We have to keep our D playing well."
   
Now 4-0 in conference games, the Cougars will travel to Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark next Friday at 7 p.m., where they hope to get an important road win en route to a state playoff berth.