SP-F Girls Basketball Team Suffers Another Injury in Defeat at Linden

What started out as a promising week for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood girls' basketball team ended with consecutive losses that included two starters getting injured.

In Saturday's 65-40 Union County Conference-Watchung Division setback at Linden, junior guard Becca Kreyer fell hard to the floor and chipped two front teeth.

 Thankfully, she was okay, but did not return to action.

In Thursday's 66-25 home defeat to non-league foe Bridgewater-Raritan, junior forward Aysia Peterson suffered a knee injury that prevented her from playing against Linden.

Peterson and Kreyer may both be out for a few more games.

Scotch Plains lost its second straight contest Saturday to fall to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the UCC's Watchung Division.

Linden, one of the top teams in the county and with four starters back, improved to 5-3 overall, 3-0 in the Watchung Division and went 3-0 this week. The Tigers lost to two out-of-state opponents – one from New York and one from Florida – in a holiday tournament played in Orlando, Fla.

With Linden already firmly ahead 26-13 with 3:12 left in the second quarter, Kreyer collided with a Tiger player near mid court and fell face down on the gym floor next to teammate Evie Klotz.

"She will go to a specialist and, hopefully, she will get her teeth fixed," Scotch Plains first-year head coach Jennifer Ryan said. "It's a lesson learned. I talk to them about wearing mouthpieces. I think something needs to be said, within the conference or within the state. I'm going to seek that out because I want my team to be protected. Maybe it would have happened anyway, I don't know."

Peterson had a monster game Tuesday when Scotch Plains came back to beat conference arch rival Westfield 53-42 at home. She paced the Raiders with 14 points and 20 rebounds - 10 on offense and 10 on defense.

Peterson went down in the first quarter against Bridgewater-Raritan and did not return.

"She twisted her knee up in the first quarter and it just changed everything for us," Ryan said. "We're not quite sure what the status is right now. We're trying to get her to a second doctor for another opinion just to see exactly what could be done to get her back on the floor as quickly as possible - or not. We need a better answer than what we have right now for her."

While Scotch Plains played three Group 4 schools this week, next week the Raiders will play one Group 2 school – Hillside Tuesday, one Group 3 school – Summit Thursday and one Group 1 school – New Providence next Saturday. All three games are at home, with Summit and New Providence undefeated going into this Saturday's competition.

Summit was also placed in the Watchung Division this year for girls' basketball. Scotch Plains will play at Summit Feb. 6 at 1 p.m., with that day being the state playoff cutoff date.

Scotch Plains and Summit are both situated in North 2, Group 3.

Although Scotch Plains lost by at least 25 points for the second time in three days, there were positives.

Freshman forward/center Tara Sweeney went strong to the basket with confidence and scored 10 points on four field goals and two free throws. She also came up with three rebounds, one block and one steal.

"There comes a time - and I said this to everybody – where they're going to get that opportunity where they have to step up and show their character," Ryan said. "I thought in the second half against Bridgewater, when we were already down, I told Tara she came out and she played tough. It's just the simple things that I still need them to do and to concentrate on. To go the basket hard every single time and I don't care how many times they get the shot blocked. They're young, they need to be encouraged and they need to know that they're going to make mistakes and that their shots are not going to go in all the time. It will come."

We're going to be together for a year and a half, this team," Ryan continued. "We're going to have to take our lumps, but I believe in my heart there will come a day when we're going to give some out too."

Klotz had a steady game at point guard, despite missing her first five shots. She paced the Raiders with a 13-point performance that included two 2-point and two 3-point field goals and three free throws. Klotz also contributed four rebounds and one steal.

Freshman forward-center Renee Oliver scored six points and grabbed three rebounds. Freshman 2-guard Taylor Sebolao netted six points, hauled in four rebounds and came up with two steals.

Kreyer finished with two points on two free throws and also added two rebounds and two steals.

Linden had four players score at least 11 points, with junior guard Tamara Todd leading the way with 18, two rebounds and two steals.

Tiger sophomore point guard Shannon Wheeler scored 15 points, grabbed one rebound, had one steal and dished out six assists. 

UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE-WATCHUNG DIVISION GAME

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD (2-4)          7          9         12        12 - 40   

LINDEN (5-3)                                                16        18         18        13 - 65 

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD (40): Tara Sweeney 4-0-2-10, Christine Monroy 0-0-2-2, Renee Oliver 3-0-0-6, Evie Klotz 2-2-3-13, Taylor Sebolao 3-0-0-6, 21 Becca Kreyer 0-0-2-2, Erin Brown 0-0-1-1, Kelsey Meisch 0-0-0-0. Totals: 12-2-10-40.

Starters: Sweeney, Kreyer, Klotz, Brown, Sebolao.

LINDEN (65): Deja Best 0-0-1-1, Corie Knight 0-1-0-3, Tamara todd 6-2-0-18, Jada Lewis 3-2-0-12, Atia Gleaton 1-0-0-2, Shannon Wheeler 3-1-6-15, Ebony Jennings 3-0-5-11, Brielle Lewis 0-0-1-1, Ayanna Barnes 1-0-0-2, Rayssa Sielemann 0-0-0-0. Totals: 17-6-13-65.

Starters: J. Lewis, Todd, Barnes, Jennings, Wheeler.