Girls Basketball Falls to Morris Catholic

A turnover-laden first half set a torturous tone early on Tuesday as the girls basketball team fell to Morris Catholic, 61-12, in Denville.

Madison’s struggles started early as Morris Catholic, which sits at 4-1 this season and looks to be one of the most complete teams in Morris County, quickly pounced on the mistake-prone Dodgers, taking an 18-5 lead heading into the second quarter.

“Morris Catholic is one of the powerhouses in the county and I think the girls came out already knowing that,” Madison head coach Gene Melleno explained. “I think they came in with the wrong attitude.”

Things would only get worse in the second quarter for Melleno and his team, as Madison surrendered a 25-2 run, keyed by four 3-pointers from Alexa Giuliano. The offensive explosion gave Morris Catholic a 36-point lead heading into halftime.

Giuliano hit five three-pointers in the win and finished with a game high 19 points.

Madison wouldn't surrender as many points in the second half, holding Morris Catholic to just four points in the third quarter before seeing Morris Catholic close out the game on a 14-1 run.

With the loss, Madison fell to 1-5 this season, but Melleno says the focus isn’t necessarily on earning wins, but rather, getting better one day at a time.

“This is a great group of kids and it’s a rebuilding process,” he said. “We’re not counting wins…we just want to get better every day.”

Tori Ellis finished with four points for Madison.

Boys Basketball Wins Seventh Straight

The Madison boys basketball teams winning streak reached its seventh straight on Tuesday, as Scott Jouan and Cameron Diaz each netted 14 points to help the Dodgers eek out 55-53 win over Morris Catholic in Madison.

Jouan hit six 3-pointers for Madison, who overcame an eight-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to move to 7-0 this season.

Senior Matt Gilbert finished with 11 points and Sean Haughey netted eight.

Coming up on Wednesday:

• Girls swimming at Morristown, 4 p.m.
• Madison wrestling at Hanover Park, 7 p.m.