Yaros Scores 26, Hopatcong Girls Basketball Rallies

The Hopatcong girls basketball team was down, 19-12, heading into the second quarter of Wednesday night's game against rival Lenape Valley.

"At that point in time the girls could have put their heads down and thrown their hands up," Chiefs head coach Jamie Douglass said. "But they didn't."

Hopatcong rallied on the strength of defensive adjustments and junior Heather Yaros' 26 points for a 42-33 win over the Patriots before a raucous crowd. Nicole Jaronsky and Gina Costanza each added seven points to the win for Hopatcong, which improved to 5-7.

Douglass was ecstatic after the win.

"My girls have all the potential in the world and I'm really trying to manipulate the game so that all of their talents can show," she said. "I've got a really good group of girls who are trying to learn. They don't question my decisions. They don't challenge me. They ask and then they do it. They're learning a lot, and they're learning a lot fast."

Douglass wasn't kidding.

The sixth-year coach installed defensive adjustments during Tuesday's practice, teaching Hopatcong to trap out of a 3-2 zone, hoping to pressure the high-scoring Melissa Rabe, who dropped 35 points on the Chiefs earlier in the year.

It worked. But not right away.

The Chiefs struggled through the first quarter, but then hit their stride. Rabe finished with just two points Wednesday.

"That was just a complete mental decision on the girls' part," Douglass said. "We had set our gameplan (Tuesday). We knew what had happened to us. … I just kind of let them play it out."

Starter Hannah Bibeault anchored Hopatcong's defense, Douglass said, though she added it was a team effort keeping the Patriots from filling up the scoreboard.

Lindsay Sabo led Lenape Valley with 11 points. Hopatcong's 10-3 third-quarter run helped it pull away from the Patriots for good.

"It was team unity," Douglass said. "It really didn't matter who was (on the court). It was definitely a team effort."

But Yaros might have highlighted the team effort on the offensive end. The swing forward went off for 12 fourth-quarter points, dominating the offensive glass and either putting back rebounds or kicking it out to Jaronsky to restart the offense.

Yaros has the skill to become one of Sussex County's top scorers, Douglass said.

"She was hitting some outside shots and getting in their at the same time," Douglass said. "She was on the move tonight, coming up with major putbacks and coming out with boards.

"I've been saying (Yaros) was a freshman. She's capable of scoring 20 points a game, no problem. She proved me right today."

Hopatcong will travel to Newton next Wednesday.