The Bound Brook girls basketball team with the Skyland Conference Tournament Gold Division Pod Trophy Source: Jen Derevjanik)
There may not have been a state tournament for Bound Brook to win its sixth straight Central Jersey Group 1 crown, but no matter. They went out as champions anyway.
In fact, for the second year in a row, the Lady Crusaders went out with a win.
Last year, their season was cut short by COVID, when the NJSIAA shut down the state tournament. Bound Brook found out when they got back from their Group 1 semifinal road win over Woodbury.
This year, the end was more definitive, and they were all smiles.
Senior guard Arianna McCleod capped her stellar career with a season-high 24 points, including a game-high 11 field goals, as top seed Bound Brook took the title in the Skyland Conference Tournament Gold Division Pod with a 60-49 win over 2nd-seed Watchung Hills.
The Crusaders finish the season 12-1; the Warriors fell to 7-8.
Click below to hear postgame reaction from Bound Brook head coach Jen Derevjanik and senior guard Arianna McCleod: