Time Runs Out for Hanover Park in MCT Final

In a Morris County Tournament run which included dramatic victories over Villa Walsh and top-seeded West Morris, the Hanover Park girls basketball team believed it could win a title even as the final seconds ticked away. Time may have run out on the Hornets, but they certainly made an impression once again.

Morris Catholic rallied to defeat Hanover Park 41-35 on Friday to capture its ninth MCT title and second in three years. Tournament MVP Sade Idera scored 15 points for the third-seeded Crusaders in the championship game held at Fairleigh Dickinson University's College at Florham campus.

Senior center Lauren Daugherty scored 13 points and senior point guard Liana Ilutzi added eight for the fourth-seeded Hornets. It was Hanover Park’s first appearance in the title game since 2009 and the team made the most of it in a thrilling contest. The Hornets led 33-28 with 3:57 left in regulation but some hot shooting by the Crusaders guards and a defensive miscue near the end made it difficult for the Hornets to prevail.

“They are 23-1 for a reason,’’ Hanover Park coach Doug Wear said. “To beat a team like that you have to play 32 minutes of error free basketball. We came close but not close enough.

“The players had their mindset of getting back here and trying to win this thing. They set their mind to it and overcome a lot of adversity. … We just didn’t have enough magic to pull it off tonight. We played very well. We just had a few breakdowns. ’’

Hanover Park, the NJAC-Liberty Division champions, dropped to 24-2. The result was a disappointment to the seniors, especially Daugherty and Ilutzi, but they had no regrets about the hard work they put in.

“We prepared extremely hard in this game,’’ Ilutzi said. “In the first half we executed. In most of the second half we executed but it just didn’t go our way.’’

They also acknowledged the quality of their opponents.

“They were an all-around good team,’’ Daugherty said. “They had their shooters. They have their inside presence. We tried playing a match-up zone on Sade and (Alexa) Giuliano. It was working until a couple of shots they hit at the end. We were in their face. They just made some great shots.’’

At one point the Hornets looked to be in superior shape, especially when Ilutzi heaved a 3-point shot from way beyond the arc which gave her team the 33-28 edge midway through the fourth quarter.

“I was a little far back,’’ Ilutzi said. “ My teammates have enough confidence in me to shoot the ball. I have enough confidence in myself to shoot it so I might as well let it fly.’’

The Crusaders deflated the Hornets’ confidence when they received back-to-back three-point shots by Giuliano and Idera. Their scores gave Morris Catholic a 34-33 edge at the 2:45 mark. The shooting range of the Crusaders guards made keeping them covered problematic.

“We knew we had to take No. 42 (Giuliano) and No. 10 (Idera) out and we did that for most of the game,’’ Wear said. “When it came down to it, they hit the two big shots and it’s a credit to them.’’

A minute later, Daugherty rebounded and put back an Ilutzi shot with 1:20 left in the game to help Hanover Park grab the lead back. However, after a Crusaders timeout, they made the play of the game. The Hornets mixed up match-up zone and man-to-man coverages most of the evening. The Crusaders found a mismatch and exploited it.

“We came out man-to-man and we got tied up somewhere beforehand,’’ Wear said. “We played zone most of the game. We got a couple of good looks there and the kids wanted to play man. We went with it. We played them great; we just got mixed up on a screen or a transition. I don’t know what it was.’’

As a result Rachel Mills, a freshman, turned a driving layup into a game-changing score. She was fouled on the play and nailed her free throw to give Morris Catholic a 37-35 edge.

“We were running a multiple offense that we use against zone and man,’’ Morris Catholic coach Rich Fachet said. “She’s a good penetrator. They have that option and she went to the basket. She has no fear.’’

A Hornets turnover gave the ball back to the Crusaders with under a minute. Hanover Park was forced to foul. Idera and Giuliano, who scored 10 points, nailed their free throws in the final seconds to preserve their victory.

The teams knew each other well. Morris Catholic defeated Hanover Park 52-41 on January 31. Fachet is a Florham Park resident and is very familiar with the Hornets seniors especially Daugherty and Ilutzi.

“Had we lost I would have felt bad but there isn’t a team I would rather have beat us than Hanover Park,’’ Fachet said. “We were trying to play Daugherty without fouling her. Anna Toke covered her but we did some doubling. She does a lot for them … Ilutzi is a very good open shooter. She doesn’t take bad shots and generally if she gets open, she nails it. The one she hit in the last quarter was an NBA three.’’

Hanover Park jumped out to an early 6-0 edge and held it at 14-10 at the end of the quarter. The Crusaders rebounded in the second quarter by a 7-2 margin to take a 17-16 halftime edge. Morris Catholic led most of the third quarter but a steal and layup by Daugherty with about a minute left in the period knotted the game at 26-all.

“Lauren has been a mainstay for us,’’ Wear said. “She’s asked to do so much. She rebounds. She shoots outside shots. She’s inside presence. She plays defense. For four years, she’s been everything for us.’’

The Hornets started the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run highlighted by Ilutzi’s 3-pointer but it wasn’t to be. They shed some tears for their defeat but knew they couldn’t dwell on it for long. State tournament play starts next week with a game against Parsippany. Ilutzi remarked about the success and resiliency of the Hornets over the last few years.

“We’re a program,’’ Ilutzi said. “It’s not just like main players come and then they leave and the program disappears. We filter in new players. Our juniors are going to take over next year. Our sophomores are going to take over a year after that. We have good leadership from our seniors but also from everybody underneath.’’