Pennington holds off Lawrence to reach final

LAWRENCE >> Lawrence had momentum going for it, but Pennington had recent history on its side.

In the end, history won out, as the Red Raiders held off a Cardinals run and pulled away for a 4632 victory Friday in the first round of the John Molinelli Girls Basketball Holiday Tournament.

In snapping a four-game losing streak, Pennington (2-4) will make its fourth straight finals appearance and will meet crosstown rival Hopewell Valley 1 p.m. Saturday in the championship game at LHS. The Raiders are the twotime defending champion, but realize this is a different era than the past two seasons.

“We’re a new team this year,” said junior Sophia Kavulich, who had 14 points, five rebounds and got the game’s key buckets. “We had a lot of experience last year. It’s a new year but if we play the way we played today maybe we can come out with the win.”

Pennington got 17 points and eight rebounds from MK Kramli, nine points and five boards from Macayla Rodriguez and 14 rebounds from freshman Reagan Amberson.

The Raiders were in control from the start, building a 23-12 halftime lead and leading 21-8 at one point.

“All break we’ve just been trying to work on fundamentals because since we’re really a young team, the coaches have been focusing on fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals; boxing out, bounce passes,” Kavulich said. “Coming into the game we said ‘Hey, work on fundamentals, if we stay calm and do that we come out with the win.’”

Lawrence did not go down easy, however, even after Pennington rebuilt a 13-point advantage at 2714. After not taking a shot in the first half, Briana Audet scored 11 after intermission and helped key an 8-0 run that pulled the Cardinals

with 27-22. Lawrence had a chance to get closer but after a missed shot, Kavulich took an outlet pass and went in for a lay-up to restore order.

“I think that was very important,” Kavulich said. “Maybe if I didn’t make that or we didn’t get the lay-up it could have been closer but I think once we got that it was like ‘Hey, we got this now.’”

As if that wasn’t enough, after Lawrence made it 29-24 early in the fourth, Kavulich hit a 3-pointer and a lay-up to start Lawrence on a game-ending 17-8 run.

“Sophia is one of our three juniors and she’s certainly a leader for us,” coach Jeff Eckerson said. “She made plays when we needed it, no question.”

Eckerson was also thankful for Amberson, who helped Pennington to a 40-36 rebounding edge against a taller Lawrence team.

“Reagan is a tremendous athlete,” the coach said. “She’s a wonderful soccer player and we’re glad she decided to play basketball. She understands the angles of the game, she needs to look for a shot a little more but she’s a tremendous player in her own right on defense and the boards.”

The win sets up a nice crosstown rivalry that Pennington welcomes.

“It’s fun,” Kavulich said. “I grew in Hopewell, I know a bunch of girls on that team so I’m excited to play against them. It should be a really good game.”

“It’s exciting for everybody involved,” Eckerson said. “I’m happy that’s the match-up. We’ll come out and play hard and hope for the best.”

PENNINGTON (46)

Kramli 7-3-17, Rodriguez 4-0-9, S. Kavulich 5-214, A. Kavulich 0-0-0, Amberson 1-0-2, J. King 2-0-4, C. King 0-0-0, O’Neil 0-0-0. Totals: 19-5-43.

LAWRENCE (32)

Audet 4-1-11, Garcia 1-1-3, Lestician 2-0-4, Dempsey 1-1-3, Ciuffreda 0-0-0, Rishindran 2-3-7, Driver 1-0-3, Patterson 0-1-1, Shivaparan 0-0-0, Coyle 0-0-0, Martin 0-0-0. Totals: 11-7-32. Pennington (2-4) 15 8 6 17 — 46 Lawrence (0-2) 84119—32 3-point goals: Kramli, S. Kavulich 2, Audet 2, Driver.

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