Girls basketball: Kelsey Kruger scores 23 points as Cedar Creek outlasts Absegami 47-38

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — The Cedar Creek girls basketball players weren’t in a giving mood just three days before Christmas. The Pirates used pressure defense to make a number of steals in the second half — including two key thefts from freshman Trina Deveney in the final minute — to get past sister school Absegami 47-38 on Tuesday night. Cedar Creek got a huge game from Kelsey Kruger, who scored a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the second half. Still, Absegami was within three, 40-37, with less than a minute to go. But twice a Deveney steal forced the Braves to foul, and those four free throws by Kruger helped Cedar Creek extend its lead to 45-37 and essentially ice the game. Jazzy Duverglas, a sophomore forward, also had a steal and hit two free throws in the final minute to help Cedar Creek put the game away. “It’s hard without having Casey (Thomas) and the other seniors we had last year, so we’re all trying to step up and do what we have to do. Every game it’s somebody different stepping up,” Kruger said. “We were excited because Absegami is our sister school, so we were all really pumped. Our press worked really well in the second half. They weren’t expecting it because we didn’t do it much in the first half, so I think that really got the momentum going for us.” Cedar Creek’s Erika Tanko brings the ball up the court during the Pirates’ win over Absegami on Tuesday night. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “She’s consistent with everything,” Cedar Creek coach Fran Raph said of Kruger. “Consistency makes you good, and that’s what she is, she’s very consistent, and that’s what makes her a good, solid player.” The Pirates (2-0) lost some key players to graduation from last year’s squad, including forwards Casey Thomas and Madison Tomasello, and use a much smaller lineup this year. They had trouble throughout the game matching up with Absegami’s Arielle Schafer, who is 5-foot-10, and center Kiyanna Thomas, who is taller than 6 feet and is a nightmare matchup for any girls basketball team at the high school level. Raph said she was impressed with the way Absegami played despite the Braves’ trouble at times handling the full-court press. “They played well. It’s tough guarding players that tall, but that’s going to be a disadvantage for everybody,” Raph said. “But they played very well. Their guards came through for them and Arielle played great underneath. They are going to have a great season.” Duverglas did a nice job containing Schafer, spending the majority of her effort on the defensive end. “Jazzy is really stepping up. She’s only a sophomore, but she’s been playing great,” Kruger said. Cedar Creek was able to keep Absegami point guard Genira Nurse in check for much of the first half, but she scored eight points in the second half to finish with a team-high 13. Thomas added 10 points for the Braves and Liz Picardi also netted 10. Erika Tanko chipped in with 11 points for Cedar Creek, while Duverglas finished with six points. Absegami’s Arielle Schafer puts up a shot against Cedar Creek defender Jazzy Duverglas. Cedar Creek jumped out to a 36-31 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Nurse and Thomas kept the Braves (1-1) in it. Thomas scored off a fast break to cut the deficit to 36-33, and a few minutes later Nurse scored by beating the press then fed Thomas on a fast break as the Pirates’ lead was cut to 38-37. But the Pirates went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe down the stretch to pull out the win. “It’s nice that we have the press when we need it. We threw it in here and there to keep them off guard. We’re more of a driving team, more of a guard-oriented team this year. Trina stepped up and she’s been doing well for only being a freshman,” Raph said. “We’re young. We’re starting a freshman, a sophomore, a junior and two seniors. It’s a different look. It’s a different look than any team I’ve ever had, but they hustle their butts off and they never give up.” Kruger said having inexperienced players at some positions — and a lot of younger players on the bench — hasn’t stunted the Pirates’ expectations this year. She said Cedar Creek expects to be in contention for the Cape-Atlantic League’s United Conference again. “I expect big things from us,” Kruger said. “I want to win the conference and try for South Jersey, and just win as much as we can.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]