Girls Basketball: Bound Brook wins 3rd-straight sectional title

BOUND BROOK - No one seemed in a rush to depart Joseph Barile Gymnasium on Monday night in the aftermath of the Bound Brook High School girls basketball team’s third-straight NJSIAA Central Group I title.

When a team is playing as well as the defending Group I champions, there never seems enough time to talk about the performances.

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The top-seeded Crusaders dominated a very good No. 2 Middlesex team 53-32 in front of possibly the biggest crowd both teams have played in front of this season. It was the second time in two years that Bound Brook (24-3) defeated the Blue Jays in the sectional final. 

Bound Brook advanced to play South Group I champion Haddon Township (25-4) in a Group semifinal at 4 p.m. Wednesday, weather permitting, at Deptford High School. 

Both state semifinalists cruised through their sections. The Crusaders have won four-straight since losing back-to-back games to North Non-Public B finalist Saddle River Day and North 2 Group IV finalist Watchung Hills, and has been winning games by an average of 31 points. Middlesex (24-6) came into the game riding a five-game winning streak that included three tournament routs and an impressive win against a young but promising Sayreville.

“The emphasis of the game for us was out-rebound them and out-hustle them, because we watched film and they went so hard, they would kill teams on the board,” Bound Brook coach Jen Derevjanik said about Middlesex. “Then another thing we focused on was we knew they always came back, they have been down 10 in multiple games and came back, so we were ready for that.”

Bound Brook ended the first quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 20-6 lead and led 33-13 at the half.

“The girls fought, we had great senior leadership, we had that run at the end of the first quarter and we never looked back after that,” Derevjanik said. “They started in man (defense) so we started attacking the basket and when they went to zone we started hitting shots.”

Sophomore forward Cameron Ward scored 11 of her 14 points in the first half and junior Cortlyn Morris scored all 10 of her points in the first half. Both finished with double-doubles. Ward also collected 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Morris blocked 12 shots, pulled down eight rebounds and recorded three assists. 

“We work hard every practice and if we work hard we know good things will come,” Ward said. “We passed the ball well and we really hustled.”

Senior Jordan Todaro had another in a long list of scrappy stat lines. She scored five points, registered seven rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks. Freshman Arianna McCleod recorded 14 points. 

“We really just pressed and made our shots,” Todaro said.

Junior Gianna Canavescio led Middlesex with nine points and junior Carly Santucci added eight.