By Bill Schlosser
New Jersey has a new basketball champion.
Morristown High School!
In front of a sold-out home crowd on Friday, the MHS girls team displayed energy, confidence, and determination to overpower Union City, 49-31, earning the Colonials their first North Jersey Group 4, Section 1, title since 2017.
It was sweet revenge for Coach Jim Pisciotto and the Colonials, who lost to the Soaring Eagles two years ago in these same finals.
Leading from the start, Morristown played suffocating defense and showed great patience on offense, led by their seniors.
The second-seeded Colonials came out with possibly their strongest first quarter of the season, dominating their 17th-ranked opponent.
Leading the charge were Kacie “KB” Bush (hitting a pair of three’s plus a basket), Anna Rivetti, Ally Smith, Caroline Condon and Maya Summerville, the most dominant player on the court.
Summerville finished with 18 points. She had multiple blocks, key rebounds, and was the anchor on offense and defense. The Northeastern-bound senior played her best when the Colonials needed her most.
Moving the ball around patiently, Morristown found open shooters in the paint to forge a commanding 21-5 first-quarter lead.
This year Union City topped the state with 232 three-pointers, averaging seven three’s per game. But the Colonials held the Soaring Eagles to just one three-pointer for the entire game.
Morristown disrupted Union City’s rhythm playing man to man, and kept its rival off balance by alternating that with a zone and a half-court trap.
Both sides played intense defense in the second quarter. Fighting through picks, Morristown held Union City to eight points. Union City limited Morristown to one three-point shot for the frame, to pull within 11 points at the half, 24-13.
Union City’s leading scorer, Jadia Guerra, who averaged nearly 18 points per game this season, was held to 16 points in this contest. Teammate Jaylyn Orefice, who averaged 16.5 points for the year, was held to 10 points.
Only two other Soaring Eagles scored: Ariana Madrid (four points) and Molly Brown (one point).
Pushing themselves for the entire 32 minutes, the Colonials allowed their usually high-scoring opponents just seven field goals.
The home team got solid contributions from its core players. Senior point guard Rivetti drew several fouls and was a steady hand on both sides of the court.
Smith, who turned 18 on Friday, worked hard to find open cuts to the basket, where her teammates found her for several layups; she also had some key blocks and rebounds. Bush and Condon got things rolling with hot shooting in the first quarter.
Morristown took a 35-22 lead into the final quarter, where Summerville summoned her superpowers to carry the Colonials to the championship.
In one stretch she made consecutive blocks and a key rebound.
On offense, she reached over a defender, grabbed a lob and finished with a strong bank-layup — a monster play showing her dominance.
Summerville finished with 10 of the last 14 points, wiping out any hope for Union City.
Morristown beat Bloomfield, Kearny and West Orange en route to Friday’s finals.
The Colonials and Soaring Eagles both ended with 22-9 records. But this time, it was the Colonials’ turn to celebrate.
Next, the sectional champs will set their sights on the overall Group 4 championship. The hunt starts Tuesday in Hillsborough, where the Colonials hope to avenge a 66-55 loss from a few weeks ago.
Bill Schlosser (MHS ’77) is a lifelong Morristown resident who has cheered for countless Colonials teams with his parents Sid (’42) and Deenie, siblings Judy (’69) and Alise (’73), wife Stacey, and children Caya (’09) and Scott (’13). Highlights included the 1974 football championship in Atlantic City, Morris County baseball titles in ’76 and ‘77, a last-minute Thanksgiving touchdown against Dover in ’76, and watching Pete Helt, Ricky Sofield, Paul Croft, Ike Green and Sonny Holt.
MORE 2023-24 MHS GIRLS BASKETBALL COVERAGE
Congratulations on an awesome season and the championship!! Great to have a championship at Morristown High School. We’re all proud of these young women.
Congratulatons.