Defense propels Morris Catholic girls basketball back to state final
· Yahoo Sports
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — Morris Catholic had an exuberant celebration in the locker room after crushing Pingry, 64-14, in the NJSIAA Non-Public A North final on March 9. The Crusaders greeted head coach Rahim Huland El with spraying bottles of water, dousing his trademark three-piece suit.
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They had lived up to a message Huland El has preached at every practice: to be politely aggressive. That means staying focused on defense, and allowing that to be the difference in the sectional final.
Morris Catholic will play in its fourth straight Non-Public final on March 12 at Rutgers University, trying to add another trophy to the case. The Crusaders beat Rutgers Prep in the Non-Public B title in 2023 and 2024, and Paul VI to win Non-Public A last winter.
"A lot of people doubted us, and what we could do," Morris Catholic junior Peyton Williams said. "They didn't think we had the skill or the energy we had before."
After holding the Big Blue to only 10 first-half points, Morris Catholic ratcheted up the pressure even further. Pingry had two baskets in the second half, a layup by sophomore Charlotte Hunzinger late in the third quarter and a drive by sophomore Sadie Salmon early in the fourth.
Even though the Crusaders' shots weren't falling on March 9, they made it work. Senior Jayah Curtis of Parsippany had a game-high 16 points, 10 in the second half. Morris Catholic junior Jax Edelman of Augusta added 14 points.
The Crusaders have won 13 games in a row, including their fifth Morris County Tournament title.
"It's basically a whole new team," Morris Catholic junior Morgan Fulston said. "We had to learn from the beginning of the season, and we're still learning how to play together. We had to learn how to trust each other, and how to just flow."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris Catholic tops Pingry, advances to fourth straight state final