It was a tough evening for the Madison High School girls basketball team. The Dodgers squared off against the Morris Hills Scarlet Knights Saturday, looking for a road win to help them reach their playoff goals. After a troublesome second quarter, a rough injury, and a lack of offensive production, the Dodgers fell, 44-24.
The Dodgers kept the game close in the first half. A strong defensive effort by both sides saw only nine total points scored in the first quarter, and seventeen in the second. Madison had some trouble finishing and holding onto the ball, but Ali Foulsham's shooting kept things from getting out of hand. She put up five in the half.
Sam Cicconi's relentless hustle on full court presses kept the Scarlet Knights on their toes, as they gave up the ball to Cicconi several times. Nikki Caruso showed great patience when a hole wouldn't open up right away: she faked a pass and drained a deep three from the top of the key.
Find out what's happening in Madisonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Unfortunately, there were some passing and communication problems for Madison, and the Dodgers gave up several turnovers. Despite the early struggle, the girls only trailed by four at the half, by a score of 15-11.
Madison was dealt a physical and emotional blow when team leader and starter Chelsea Davies was injured with 5:13 to go in the third. In some chaos below the basket, she took a hit to the head (Madison.Patch will update with more details on Davies as they become available). She was helped off the court to applause from both sides, but did not reenter the game.
Find out what's happening in Madisonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Davies' absence had a big impact on her teammates, as the Dodgers remained scoreless for most of the third quarter.
Finally, with under a minute to go, Corey Deblaise was fouled and she converted both shots for two points. On Madison's next possession, Tori Ellis drove hard for a layup to make it 27-15, quelling a 12-point Morris Hills run.
Caruso was 100 percent on free throws in the fourth quarter, going 8 of 8 from the foul line. It wouldn't be enough to get the Dodgers out of a hole, though, as they finished behind the Scarlet Knights, 44-24.
"We had no rhythm," head coach Stephen Finkelstein said after the game.
Now 7-7 on the season, the girls will be at home against Mountain Lakes on Monday. Tip off will be at 7 p.m., and the girls hope to get a key late-season win en route to a state playoff berth.
