Linden girls' basketball dominates Scotch Plains behind balanced scoring attack; Tigers improve to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in Union County Conference-Watchung Division

By JR Parachini
Union County Sports Editor

LINDEN – In search of.
The Linden girls’ basketball team is in search of a great deal this season.
The Tigers are in search of their first Union County Tournament championship since repeating in 1994.
Linden is in search of success in the North 2, Group 4 playoffs.
More importantly, the Tigers are in search of being the best basketball team that they can be.
Linden is off to a good start.
Following a three-game stint near Disneyworld over the break that saw them go 1-2, the Tigers came home and went 3-0 this past week to improve to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in the Watchung Division of the newly-formed Union County Conference.
Linden never trailed Saturday afternoon in easily handling visiting league foe Scotch Plains 65-40. Four of five starters scored in double digits, with junior guard Tamara Todd leading the way with 18 points, two rebounds and two steals and sophomore point guard Shannon Wheeler contributing 15 points, one rebound, one steal and six assists.
Scotch Plains lost its second straight and fell to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Watchung Division. The Raiders were paced by junior point guard Evie Klotz, who scored 13 points, had four rebounds and one steal; and freshman forward-center Tara Sweeney, who netted 10 points, hauled in three rebounds, had one block and one steal.
Scotch Plains junior guard Becca Kreyer fell to the floor and chipped two front teeth in a second quarter collision with a Linden player. She was okay, but did not return to action.
“She will go to a specialist and, hopefully, she will get her teeth fixed,” Scotch Plains first-year head coach Jennifer Ryan said. “It’s a lesson learned.
“I talk to them about wearing mouthpieces. I think something needs to be said, within the conference or within the state.
“I’m going to seek that out because I want my team to be protected. Maybe it would have happened anyway, I don’t know.”
The Raiders were hit hard by graduation and this week also lost the services of starting junior forward Aysia Peterson to a knee injury. Peterson injured her knee vs. Bridgewater-Raritan Thursday and did not play against Linden.
The other Linden starters who scored in double digits were freshman Jada Lewis with 12 points and junior three-year varsity starting forward Ebony Jennings with 11 and seven rebounds and one block.
Wheeler, Todd, Jennings and senior Ayanna Barnes are returning starters.
Linden, which is coming off a 13-10 season, played in the Diamond State Classic in Wilmington, Del. last year, splitting two games.
If the Tigers continue to receive the same kind of balanced scoring they were able to obtain vs. Scotch Plains and increase their intensity on defense, they will be a very tough team to beat.
“Starting the season out we got Westfield right off the bat and that was a big confidence booster for the girls,” Linden head coach Shamona Patterson said.
Linden opened at Westfield on Dec. 18 and beat the host Blue Devils 50-44 behind 20 points from Wheeler, 13 from Todd and six from Lewis. Linden won the fourth quarter 15-9 after the game was tied 35-35 following the first three quarters.
“Playing Gill St. Bernard’s next was a game to see where we were,” Patterson said.
Linden was defeated 70-47 in Peapack-Gladstone on Dec. 21, with Lewis pouring in 14 and Wheeler and Jennings 11 each.
“The first half was a good half for us, we were down by 10, and then turnovers plagued us in the second half,” Patterson said. “They have a pretty good team, with one of their girls (Daisha Simmons) going to Rutgers.”
Then it was off to Florida for three games. Patterson said that in its bracket of the KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando, Linden was first defeated by Immaculata of Somerville, fell to a team from Carmel (Putnam County), New York and then defeated a team from South Sumter, Fla.
“Traveling to Florida and being in the tournament gave us a chance to build a stronger bond coming back to New Jersey and playing together as a team, which was nice,” Patterson said.
Linden went on to edge visiting Plainfield 36-33 in league action Tuesday behind 14 points each from Todd and Wheeler.
The Tigers then dominated Newark Tech 54-41 at home Thursday.
Linden came home, won all three home dates this week and will take a three-game winning streak into this coming week’s competition.
Todd, a two-year varsity starter, who lived in Linden, moved away and came back, connected on eight baskets vs. Scotch Plains, six from 2-point range and two from 3-point distance.
“I think she’s doing a tremendous job for us, keeping us balanced,” Patterson said. “Her confidence is building and her strength is phenomenal.”
Wheeler gets Todd the ball and Todd goes strong to the hoop for many layup baskets. Jennings is a big body inside that is capable of grabbing a rebound from almost anywhere and putting the ball back in.
“Shannon has the mentality of a senior,” Patterson said. “We’re trying to make her understand that while she is a leader, she still has room to grow. She’s doing a great job for us as well.
“Shannon and Tamara have been our double-digit scorers.
“Ebony was injured in pre-season (back) and is just now coming around. On any given night I can have 5-6 girls spreading the wealth and scoring, which is something that we haven’t had in a long time.
“Ayanna does a great job rebounding and blocking shots and she’s an excellent passer. She sees the floor very well.”
NOTES: Linden has two games this coming week, first at Union Thursday at 4 p.m. and then at home against non-league opponent Woodbridge next Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
“Year in and year out there is always parity,” Patterson said. “It’s usually who shows up that day and who is ready to play that will succeed.”


UNION COUNTY CONFERENCE-WATCHUNG DIVISION GAME
SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD (2-4) 7 9 12 12 - 40
LINDEN (5-3) 16 18 18 13 - 65


SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD (40): Tara Sweeney 4-0-2-10, Christine Monroy 0-0-2-2, Renee Oliver 3-0-0-6, Evie Klotz 2-2-3-13, Taylor Sebolao 3-0-0-6, 21 Becca Kreyer 0-0-2-2, Erin Brown 0-0-1-1, Kelsey Meisch 0-0-0-0. Totals: 12-2-10-40.
Starters: Sweeney, Kreyer, Klotz, Brown, Sebolao.
LINDEN (65): Deja Best 0-0-1-1, Corie Knight 0-1-0-3, Tamara todd 6-2-0-18, Jada Lewis 3-2-0-12, Atia Gleaton 1-0-0-2, Shannon Wheeler 3-1-6-15, Ebony Jennings 3-0-5-11, Brielle Lewis 0-0-1-1, Ayanna Barnes 1-0-0-2, Rayssa Sielemann 0-0-0-0. Totals: 17-6-13-65.
Starters: J. Lewis, Todd, Barnes, Jennings, Wheeler.


2009-2010 SCOTCH PLAINS RAIDERS
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:
10-Lyndsey Douglas, senior guard
14-Erin Brown, junior forward
22-Evie Klotz, junior guard
21-Becca Kreyer, junior guard
24-Aysia Peterson, junior forward
12-Linsey Phelan, junior guard
5-Liz Gallo, sophomore guard-forward
15-Kelsey Meisch, freshman guard
13-Christine Monroy, freshman guard
25-Renee Oliver, freshman forward-center
23-Taylor Sebolao, freshman guard
20-Tara Sweeney, freshman forward-center
Head coach: Jennifer Ryan

2009-2010 SCHEDULE/results (2-4, 1-2):
Dec. 18 (H) Plainfield 42, Scotch Plains 35
PEPE/LEVEE TOURNAMENT AT DAYTON
Dec. 28 (A) Dayton 48, Scotch Plains 19
Dec. 30 (A) Scotch Plains 60, North 13th St. Tech 31
Jan. 5 (H) Scotch Plains 53, Westfield 42
Jan. 7 (H) Bridgewater-Raritan 66, Scotch Plains 25
Jan. 9 (A) Linden 65, Scotch Plains 40
Jan. 12 Hillside, 4 p.m.
Jan. 14 Summit, 4 p.m.
Jan. 16 New Providence, 1 p.m.
Jan. 23 at Rahway, 4 p.m.
Jan. 26 Elizabeth, 4 p.m.
Jan. 29 Union, 4 p.m.
Jan. 30 at Plainfield, TBA
Feb. 2 at Westfield, 4 p.m.
Feb. 4 Linden, 4 p.m.
Feb. 6 at Summit, 1 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Elizabeth, 4 p.m.
Feb. 13 at Union, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 16 at Johnson, 4 p.m.
Feb. 18 Watchung Hills, 4 p.m.


2009-2010 LINDEN TIGERS
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:
11-Ayanna Barnes, senior forward
22-Tamara Todd, junior guard
25-Ebony Jennings, junior center
20-Brielle Lewis, junior forward
32-Deja Best, junior forward
3-Shannon Wheeler, sophomore point guard
24-Atia Gleaton, junior forward
33-Rayssa Sielemann, senior forward
23-Jada Lewis, freshman guard
15-Destiny Jenkins, freshman guard
13-Jhaya Johnson, sophomore guard
21-Amanda Williams, sophomore forward
4-Corie Knight, freshman guard
2-Ashley DeSousa, freshman guard
Head coach: Shamona Patterson

2009-2010 RESULTS/schedule (5-3, 3-0):
Dec. 18 (A) Linden 50, Westfield 44
Dec. 21 (A) Gill St. Bernard’s 70, Linden 47
KSA TOURNAMENT IN ORLANDO, FLA.
In its bracket, Linden went 1-2, losing to Immaculata of Somerville,
losing to Carmel, New York and beating South Sumter, Fla.
Jan. 5 (H) Linden 36, Plainfield 33
Jan. 7 (H) Linden 54, Newark Tech 41
Jan. 9 (H) Linden 65, Scotch Plains 40
Jan. 14 at Union, 4 p.m.
Jan. 16 Woodbridge, 2:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 Cranford, 4 p.m.
Jan. 21 at Elizabeth, 4 p.m.
Jan. 26 at Rahway, 4 p.m.
Jan. 28 Summit, 4 p.m.
Jan. 30 Westfield, 1 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Plainfield, 7 p.m.
Feb. 4 at Scotch Plains, 4 p.m.
Feb. 6 Union, 1 p.m.
Feb. 9 Elizabeth, 1 p.m.
Feb. 11 Rahway, 4 p.m.
Feb. 13 at Summit, 1 p.m.
Feb. 16 at Roselle Catholic, 4 p.m.
Feb. 26 at New Providence, 4 p.m.