The “new look” basketball team started the 2011-12 season in impressive fashion on Friday night, stopping Parsippany, 57-41, at Parsippany High School.
With a number of central pieces from last year’s 17-win team gone, head coach Bill Librera’s plan to employ a heavy rotation this season proved effective on Friday night, as Madison used a big second quarter to pull away from an outmatched Parsippany team, and start the season off with a win.
“A lot of people stepped up in big places,” Librera said after the win. “We’re going to have a next-man-up mentality this year. We’ve got a lot of open spots and a lot of kids competing, so when your number’s called, you step up, and I think a lot of people did tonight.”
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Step up they did, as Madison saw 11 players score in the season opener, led by Cameron Dias and Scott Jouan, who scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, helping the Dodgers to the conference win.
“It’s good for us,” Librera added. “It’s a road win and a conference opponent. Anytime you can get those out of the way, it’s nice to have a checklist and get the wins early.”
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As expected with the Madison rotation, the Dodgers also experienced some lulls on the court, never more noticeable than in the third quarter when they were outscored 12-11.
“Some of that’s going to be our growing pains," Librera said. "I was saying before the game, whatever we do tonight, we’re going to want to make sure that every game we’re going to get better. And we’re going to go through spells like that, but we have to make sure that it’s only a spell and not an entire game.”
Up next, Librera and his Dodger club head to Pequannock for another conference matchup on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Girls Basketball Stops PHS in OT
A Bridget McAndrew double-double on Friday helped lead the Madison girls basketball team to a 37-30 overtime win over Parsippany at Madison, according to NJ.com.
McAndrew finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds, helping Madison to a 1-0 start to the 2011-12 season
Ashley Burroughs finished with a team-high 11 points for Parsippany.
COMING UP FOR MADISON:
- Mount Olive Wrestling Tournament at Mt. Olive H.S., Saturday at 9 a.m.
- Ice hockey vs. Pequannock, Sunday at 6 p.m.
