Group 4 Girls’ Finals Preview: Hillsborough, West Orange to meet again, battling for state title

It’s not very often two teams who met in the regular season, let alone three-and-a-half weeks ago, will meet for a state title, but here we are.

When Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers University in Piscataway hosts the NJSIAA Girls’ Group 4 State Championship Game Sunday at 4 pm – which you can hear LIVE on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 3:45 – the matchup will be Hillsborough and West Orange, who met back on February 20th, with the Raiders winning a 58-54 decision at home.

That matchup came just two days before Hillsborough played in the Somerset County Tournament final, a 68-48 loss to Gill St. Bernard’s, their defeat this season.

But while the teams may be intimately acquainted with each other, it’s also unfamiliar territory for both. Neither has ever been to the state finals, let alone won it.

MORE ON THE NJSIAA GIRLS’ GROUP 4 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Hillsborough (25-6) vs. West Orange (26-7)
When: Sunday, 4 pm
Where: Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers University, Piscataway
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel (LISTEN HERE)

Special thanks to our game sponsors:
Laura Pallay at Re/Max InStyle Realty
Lenny’s Pizza and Pasta in Hillsborough
Simply Sweets by Lauren, Specialty Bake Shop in Hillsborough

PREVIEW INTERVIEW:

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Hillsborough (top-seed, Central Jersey Group 4 Champion)
First Round: Def. (16) Long Branch, 69-39
Quarterfinals: Def. (8) East Brunswick, 74-40
Semifinals: Def. (5) Franklin, 68-55
Finals: Def. (2) Monroe, 72-44
Group 4 Semifinals: Def. South Jersey Group 4 Champion Cherokee, 49-34

West Orange (top-seed, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 Champion)
First Round: Def. (16) Memorial, 87-13
Quarterfinals: Def. (8) Paterson Eastside, 67-42
Semifinals: Def. (4) Ridgewood, 57-50
Finals: Def. (2) Morristown, 61-39
Group 4 Semifinals: Def. North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Champion Westfield, 59-47

TOP SCORERS:

Hillsborough: Francesca Schiro (21.3 ppg, 51 treys); Mya Loniewski (11.4 ppg, 15 treys); Isabella Ruh (9.8 ppg, 18 treys)
West Orange: Rhyan Watt (17 ppg, 54 treys); Anaya Karriem (14.8 ppg, 15 treys); Kyley Gary-Grayson (13.2 ppg, 45 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Hillsborough: Francesco Schiro, Isabella Ruh (6.1 rpg), Reghan Bice (4.5 rpg)
West Orange: Anaya Karriem (12.2 rpg), Kyley Gary-Grayson (4.6 rpg)

MISCELLANEOUS:

Hillsborough: Francesca Schiro (153 assists, 116 steals); Mya Loniewksi (134 assists, 92 steals); Isabella Ruh (38 blocks)
West Orange: Kyley Gary-Grayson (140 assists); Anaya Karriem (111 blocks, 109 steals); Rhyan Watt (174 steals)

BY THE NUMBERS:

Points Per Game Scored: Hillsborough 64.9, West Orange 57.3
Points Per Game Allowed: Hillsborough 49.2, West Orange 41.1
Average Margin: Hillsborough +15.7, West Orange +16.2
Threes Per Game: Hillsborough 5.1, West Orange 5.0

NOTES AND NUGGETS:

Grueling Schedule: Hillsborough plays in one of the toughest divisions in the state, but it’s also made them tougher. All six of their losses have come against division teams, including three losses to Gill St. Bernard’s – two in the regular season, one in the Somerset County Tournament final – two regular season losses to Rutgers Prep, and one to Franklin. The Raiders split with the Warriors in the regular season, but won the rubber match in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, 68-55. They finished fourth in the division at 5-5, a half-game behind Franklin. Their biggest win of the season prior to the state tournament, was a 58-54 win over Rutgers Prep in the county semifinals that was their first over the Argonauts since beating them in the 2006 SCT final, snapping a 25-game skid in the series.

Watt and Karriem Carry Mountaineers: Though Rhyan Watt is the only West Orange player to score in double-figures in all five tournament games so far, averaging 18.8 points per game in the states, Anaya Karriem has been a monster on the glass as well, registering three double-doubles. In the sectional semifinals against Ridgewood, she dropped in 17 points and ten rebounds. In the finals against Morristown it was a 13-point, 10-board effort. And in the Group 4 semis against Westfield, Karriem went off for 13 and 13. She’s also hit four treys in the state tournament. Watt, meanwhile, has scored 20-plus points twice in the NJSIAA tournament, including 25 against Morristown in the North 1, Group 4 final. She’s also had ten steals in each of the last two games.

Rare Second Meeting: Since the state finals are often teams from different regions of the state, it’s rare the two finalists would have played each other earlier in the season. Out of 12 state finals matchups this weekend at Rutgers, only one other game is a rematch from earlier in the season, the New Providence and Glen Ridge girls in the Group 1 final. The Pioneers won that one Saturday afternoon, 42-36, after a January 18th meeting on the road also went their way, 57-43.