Giving up a few inches in height didn’t matter for Abigail Martin last night, as she defined post play in Columbia’s most important contest of the year.
Martin, outsized by two of her opponent’s forwards, scored 13 points and hit the glass all game long to help the Cougars defeat the North Hunterdon Lions, 51-37, at the South Orange Middle School gymnasium.
The victory pushed Columbia into the sectional finals in the North II, Group IV region of the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. They will face the winner of Piscataway/Bayonne at Cranford High School on Tuesday night.
Columbia came out stronger offensively compared to Wednesday night against Bridgewater-Raritan, as the Cougars went up 8-2 at the 4:30 mark in the opening quarter.
The lead continued to extend, reaching 10 points after Brianna Thomas forced a steal and went basket to basket with a layup while drawing a foul. North Hunterdon responded with a prompt timeout, trying to figure out a way to break the tight Columbia defense.
A three pointer by Melissa Carelli helped the team leave the first quarter with an 18-10 advantage.
But the Lions, the third seed in the region, fought back in the second quarter. Two successful free throws, a turnover by the Cougars, and a three pointer brought the visitors within three. Meanwhile, the Columbia offense began to miss jumpers and blow layups, opening the door for a comeback.
North Hunterdon did not shy away, taking the lead at the five-minute mark of the second quarter with an inside layup and a deep baseline two pointer.
Shaina Earle stopped the drought for the Cougars, hitting a triple from the corner to tie up the contest at 21. The teams exchanged baskets for a bit, but the Lions grabbed a five-point advantage after a steal led to another deep trey.
Gabrielle Jackson’s shot from downtown helped get it close again, and at the half the Cougars only trailed 30-29.
Both teams struggled offensively in the early moments of the third, as a Columbia basket at the 5:24 mark was the first score of the period. That one point lead soon blossomed to six after Martin drove the lane from the free throw line and drew a foul on a successful inside basket.
After North Hunterdon missed an open layup, Martin made the visitors pay again with a shot off the glass. The Lions countered with a three pointer, but a layup and foul for Marcy Williams gave the lead to Columbia for good.
Williams flourished down the stretch in the fourth quarter, hitting a deep two at the 6:18 mark and later a big offensive rebound and put back. She ended the night with nine points.
Midway through the fourth, the Cougars slowed it down and ran 30-45 seconds of the clock with each possession. With two minutes left, the lead got back to double digits and North Hunterdon started to foul.
Jackson’s steal and finish, going the full length of the court on the play, all but sealed the win with 1:49 remaining.
As the tradition goes for the Cougars in victory, the team and their fans began to clap in sync as time expired on the Lions.
The ritual, and the win behind it, also placed Columbia just one victory away from reaching the state semifinals next week.
