Lady Pioneers Cruise to First Round Win in State Tournament

Sophomore and senior Laura Gregory combined for 28 points and propelled the fourth seeded Lady Pioneers to a 51-29 victory over the 13th seeded Newark Arts High School Jaguars Tuesday evening in the first round of the North 2, Group 1 State Tournament in New Providence.

Squeri led all scorers with 17 points, including three baskets from beyond the arc. She also tied senior Kaitlyn Cresencia with a game-high four steals. Gregory scored all 11 of her points in the first half, and notched seven assists and two blocks as well. Gregory and Squeri came into the tournament having scored 29 and 16 points, respectively, in the Lady Pioneers’ win against Union last Friday.

“They’re two of our leading scorers, and when they are making their baskets, we’re tough to defend,” head coach Cap Pazdera said. “If you put a lot of defensive pressure on them, then (junior) will knock down shots.”

Culleton was the third leading scorer for New Providence with eight points, five assists and two rebounds.

The Jaguars hit the game’s first basket, but the Lady Pioneers’ responded with a 16-0 run. Arts did not score again until there was 2:47 left in the first. Squeri ended the quarter with her second three pointer, giving New Providence a commanding 20-6 lead.

“She is a threat from the outside, and if you shut her down there, she is going to look to cut to the basket,” Pazdera said of Squeri.

In the second quarter, New Providence relied on its half court trap defense to force turnovers and create fast break opportunities. As a result, the Jaguars struggled to set up their offense and were again held to under 10 points.

“We knew that ball handling wasn’t one of their strengths, so we just wanted to make sure we were putting lots of pressure on the ball,” Pazdera said.

The Lady Pioneers finished the game with 17 steals.

New Providence led 37-13 at halftime, limiting Arts High School’s scoring to three players. Sophomore Aanise Barnes, junior Sydonia Daniels, and senior Lena Howard were the only Jaguars to get on the score sheet all night. Daniels led the team with 14 points (10 in the second half). Coming into the game, Pazdera focused his team’s attention on stopping Daniels.

“Daniels is a big time player and can get the ball inside,” Pazdera said. “We made sure any time she touched the ball, it was outside of her range. And if she did catch it in her range, we put lots of pressure on her.”

Ahead by 24 points, the Lady Pioneers toned down their offensive attack in the third. Their defensive pressure remained the same though, as they held the Jaguars to just four points. Pazdera also brought in some younger players, including freshmen Jillian Balog and Maxine Ibrahim to give them some postseason minutes.

“We had our subs in to get them some playoff experience and on the offensive end, we turned the ball over a couple of times,” Pazdera said. “But they don’t typically see a lot of pressure like that, so it was good for them.”

Arts took advantage of the substitutions in the fourth quarter by going on a 10-0 run. The Lady Pioneers were held scoreless for six minutes and 40 seconds, but it had little impact on the final outcome.

With the win, New Providence improves to 19-5. Meanwhile, Arts High School’s season ends with a 9-14 record.

The Lady Pioneers continue their quest for a second consecutive sectional title when they face fifth seeded Jonathan Dayton High School (20-6) in the North 2, Group 1 Quarterfinals on Thursday in New Providence at 8 p.m.

“We are going to make sure that they can’t beat us from the outside,” Pazdera said. “Defense is going to be the key.”

New Providence beat Dayton 59-44 back on Feb. 10 at home.

“They have three really good shooting guards, and they always put up a good fight,” Gregory said. “I’m excited to play them again.”