Lady Highlanders Basketball Breezes by Barringer in Playoff Opener

The West Morris Central Lady Highlanders had no problems against Barringer High School in the first round of the NJSIAA State Tournament on Tuesday, March 1 at West Morris Central. In a one-sided contest, Central dominated without a glitch as it went on to blow out its first round opponent, 69-30.

The Lady Highlanders wasted no time asserting their dominance as they proved to be the better team from start to finish. Not only did they strike first, taking only 5 seconds into the first quarter to score their first points, but they struck often. They went on a 18-0 run to start the game, shutting down Barringer’s offense completely in the first quarter.

Barringer’s offense was stagnant all night and couldn’t seem to pick up any momentum as the game wore on. The team's first points didn't come until nearly a minute into the second quarter.

While West Morris wasn’t particulary strong in its outside shooting game, the Lady Highlanders made it up by scoring on second chance opportunities and strong play  under the basket. West Morris also capitalized on Barringer's mistakes, converting turnovers into points.

With the team finding early success, Coach Fran Gavin decided to try out his bench, resting his starters for most of the second and fourth quarters. Young talent was able to shine as Central did not skip a beat.

Despite the extra rest, stars like Junior Shayna Erickson (22 points), Carly Chello (12 points) and Amy Mcquade (11 points) shined. Erickson was the team's high scorer with her performance, picking up most of her points from early on in the game. Chello delivered with a great mid-range offensive game as the team's second high scorer was solid on defense, forcing Barringer to turn the ball over multiple times.

West Morris forced twenty-one turnovers in the first half alone with their fast and relentless defense. The Lady Highlanders will host Iselin Kennedy on Thursday, March 3.