Underdog Rebels climb back to sectional final BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer Relishing their role as an underdog, the Howell High School girls basketball team has ridden it all the way to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV finals. With Friday night's 36-33 win over No. 3 seed Hillsborough, the 10th-seeded Rebels completed their unlikely climb back to the state sectional final. "It's been fun," coach Bill Gallacher said of Howell's March run. "We've been playing as well as we have all year. "Everyone is touching the ball on offense, and we're controlling the tempo," he added. "We've shown a lot of patience and we've played great defense." Funny thing is, the Rebels weren't playing their best ball heading into the state playoffs. After losing to St. John Vianney in the second round of the SCT, the Rebels promptly dropped their two warm-up games leading into the states. They didn't just lose them, but played poorly (an ankle injury to point guard Denise Crudup was a factor). When the Rebels hit the road on Feb. 27 to play Steinert, the seventh seed, Gallacher didn't know what to expect. Howell brought its A game and stunned Steinert, 51-43, racing out to an 18-9 lead after one period and then holding the Spartans off the rest of the way. Center Margaux Pickell, who had been a major rebounding force all season, picked a good time to come up with the best offensive game of the year, scoring 16 points to go with 21 rebounds, and Howell was off to the second round. Crudup added 11 as Howell broke its three-game losing streak. It was on to Plainsboro to meet up with the section's No. 2 seed, West Windsor South, and a masterful defensive effort made believers out of the Rebels. They held the Pirates to single digits in all four quarters and ran away with a 45-31 win. "We played incredible defense," said Gallacher. "Everyone played great." Erin Donahue (11) and Crudup (10) led the Rebels' attack. Tenth-seeded teams are not supposed to last past the quarterfinals at the very least, yet the Rebels were still standing and using their low seed as a rallying cry. "As the No. 10 seed, they like the idea that they are the underdog," said Gallacher. "They've been using it [underdog] to our advantage." What a difference a year makes for these Rebels. Last year at this time, they had all the pressure and expectations of the No. 1 seed. Those expectations were not on the 2006-07 Rebels. Despite the returning Donahue, Crudup and Michelle Blum, the core of that team had graduated and the Rebels quickly became an afterthought. That was just fine with them. "This year they liked the fact that no one was picking them," Gallacher pointed out. "They had a chance to prove to people that they were no slouches. That did motivate them. "All of the girls worked very hard in the offseason," he added. After the second seed fell, No. 3 Hillsborough was forewarned. The Raiders had been eliminated by the Rebels in Howell the past two years, and this was their best shot. Again, it wasn't enough, and the Rebels had their third straight road win, 36-33. Defense again, this time from Donahue, who shut down the Raiders' leading scorer, Kaitlin Capriccio, holding her to a mere nine points. The balanced Rebel attack had no scorer in double figures, with Crudup leading the way with nine. Blum hit a free throw that broke a 31-31 tie, and freshman Jackie Ward, the key addition to this year's club, put the game away with four straight free throws. The balanced scoring was another indication of how the Rebels are getting everyone involved and making it impossible for teams to target any one player. For Howell (17-11) it was on to Sayreville (host of the sectional final) for the second time in three years, where they were to meet up with an all-too-familiar foe, No. 1 seeded Trenton Central in last night's final. Trenton Central has eliminated the Rebels the past two years. With wins over No. 2 and No. 3, could it be asking too much to add No. 1 to their résumé? Howell's overall 17-11 record may not be impressive for a team playing in a Central Jersey final, but Gallacher's team was well tested throughout the season and their 3-0 playoff run is a tribute to going out and playing a tough schedule. "It's the best compliment we can give to our conference [A North]," said Gallacher. "We played so many tough teams throughout the year in our conference and out of conference [St. John Vianney, Piscataway and Monmouth Regional]. "We knew we were capable of competing [with the top teams]," he added. Colts Neck and Freehold Borough also qualified for the state playoffs. The Cougars were in Central Jersey Group IV like Howell and were seeded No. 5, and were on the road for their quarterfinal against No. 4 Hunterdon Central. The Red Devils used a 23-9 fourth-quarter edge to rally for a 46-34 win. The Cougars finished the season 19-7 with a load of promise for the future. They start three freshmen, and it was the frosh backcourt tandem of Brooke Hampton (14) and Lauren Clarke (12) that paced the Cougars. Freehold Borough saw its best season in years end at home on Thursday when Willingboro upended the Colonials in the CJ Group III quarterfinal, 67-61. This was an exciting up-and-down-the-floor game. The Mayrose sisters Allysa (22) and Shannon (19) combined for 41 points, but the Colonials could not contain B. Crews (26) in the paint, and that was the difference-maker for the visiting Chimeras (19-9). Freehold Borough finished the season with a fine 20-5 record.