Andrew Constant – Sports Writer

NEW BRUNSWICK — In what is becoming a customary outcome, the South Brunswick High School girls basketball team limited its opponent to less than 30 points on Saturday. This time, in the All-Brunswick Holiday Tournament final, the Vikings yielded less than six points in three different quarters and got just enough offense to emerge victorious, 35-24 over East Brunswick.

After winning 38-19 Friday against New Brunswick and eight days after allowing just 28 points to Woodbridge, South Brunswick (3-0) continued its great work on defense. The Bears scored just three points in both the first and third quarters and only five in the fourth to waste a second-quarter surge that saw them tie the score at 16-16 at intermission.

“We played a very good first quarter and then we were very flat in the second quarter. It was a good lesson for us though; East Brunswick is not going to lie down and they came out, knocking down three’s and they were feeling it offensively,” South Brunswick coach Jeff Johnson said.

Julia Simoes bookended the first half with a pair of 3-pointers for East Brunswick (2-1), one coming in the game’s opening seconds and the other as the first-half buzzer sounded. In between, reserve forward Kim Anderson got hot from the outside, making a pair of 3-pointers and another jumper from just inside the arc for eight quick points off the bench. Anderson also added four rebounds in sparse minutes for the Bears.

Taylor Brantley controlled the paint for South Brunswick in the first half, collecting all eight of her points and six of her nine rebounds in the game’s opening 16 minutes. Brantley, along with Jackie Harrison, helped limit East Brunswick to one-and-done on many occasions Saturday, cleaning the boards and starting offensive chances for the Vikings. Harrison finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.

“I’m really proud of the way we came out in the second half and we battled. We controlled the boards, so when their shots weren’t going in, it was one-and-done,” Johnson said.

The Vikings outrebounded East Brunswick 37-17.

South Brunswick has allowed just 71 points in three games, but its offense hasn’t exactly been in top gear. After scoring 58 points in their opener against Woodbridge, the Vikings managed just 73 points in the tournament.

Johnson said that his team has been executing well, but the baskets just haven’t gone down.

“Two games in a row now this weekend where it’s almost been like there’s been a lid on the basket for us; we’re getting in the lane and things just aren’t falling for us,” he said. “But if we keep playing that hard, it’ll work out. We played hard and got a win on the road and that’s a big thing for us.”

After getting herself into foul trouble early on, freshman forward Natalia Louhisdon scored all 10 of her points after intermission. Louhisdon made three out of four free throws late to clinch it for South Brunswick after the Bears intentionally fouled to put the Vikings in the bonus.

“I had to tell her to stop passing the ball there at the end, because she’s really solid at the line,” Johnson said. “Forget about her being a freshman; nothing fazed her. And you need players like that to take the ball and go to the line and help us win a game.”

Taylor Freeman, of J.F. Kennedy attempts a layup over Carteret defender Courtney Hansen in an opening-round game of the Gene Haley Girls Basketball Holiday Tournament Friday. Photo by: Jody Somers

EDISON — Despite tipping off at an earlier time than they’re used to, the J.F. Kennedy High School girls basketball team came out on the offensive Friday morning. Taylor Freeman got the Mustangs going with a pair of 3-pointers and Rachel Andrejcak took over in the third quarter, leading J.F. Kennedy to a 55-26 victory over Carteret in the first round of the Gene Haley Memorial Tournament.

The Mustangs will play Edison in Saturday’s final at 12:30 p.m.

Andrejcak dominated the paint, especially coming out of the locker room after hafltime, when she racked up 13 of her game-high 21 points and eight of her game-high 16 rebounds in the third quarter.

“In the beginning of the game I was a little tired and at halftime I just woke up and told myself I had to get it going,” Andrejcak said. “We passed really well today to get the open layups and I just made the right moves.”

After opening up a 14-4 lead after the first quarter, J.F. Kennedy never looked back, using an up-tempo style of offense to put Carteret away. Freeman had all 14 of her points in the first half, scoring seven in each of the first two quarters, and Sofia Tahzib teamed with Andrejcak on the glass, collecting 13 rebounds.

Head coach Heidi Hodnett was pleased with her squad’s offensive performance, but spoke highly about the Mustangs’ ability to win the rebounding battle. J.F. Kennedy out-rebounded Carteret 47-31 in the game.

“The girls played really well offensively; they pushed the ball and did a better job of working the ball around and getting some looks inside,” Hodnett said. “One of the things we have been focusing on is crashing the boards. We have some taller players so getting offensive rebounds to allow us some second-chances when necessary is key.”

J.F. Kennedy led 29-8 at halftime, taking advantage of 10 first half turnovers by the Ramblers. Carteret couldn’t get its offense on track, consistently having shots rim out and clang off the backboard. Courtney Hansen finally got into some offensive rhythm for the Ramblers in the fourth quarter, with the game no longer in doubt, scoring 10 of her 12 points. She also added eight rebounds in the contest.

But neither Hansen or her teammates had an answer for Andrejcak, who muscled her way to loose balls around the rim and protected it on the defensive end. Hodnett was impressed with the junior’s ability to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the floor for as long as she did.

“Her key is not getting frustrated when she’s getting fouled and it’s not being called. She’s got a huge size advantage and she’s extremely athletic, but she just needs to stay focused and we need to keep her out of foul trouble defensively,” Hodnett said. “I don’t think she’s picked up a single foul yet this season, so her hard work on defense is paying off on offense.”

With a sizeable lead entering the fourth quarter, Freeman and Andrejcak didn’t play in the final eight minutes, allowing reserve Brianna Hindy to come in and score six points in the fourth.

“We’re still using every moment as time to get better, and this was a game we were able to do so,” Hodnett said.

MONMOUTH JCT. — With all of the inclement weather recently, the South Brunswick High School girls basketball team had not seen action other than practice in the preseason in weeks.

In fact, first-year head coach Jeff Johnson couldn’t remember exactly when they last took the court for a scrimmage against Bridgewater-Raritan.

It didn’t matter much to the Vikings on Friday in the season opener, though, as they ran away from Woodbridge, building on a 15-6 first-quarter advantage en route to a 58-28 victory.

“We had three scrimmages snowed out, so we were really antsy to play,” Johnson said. “I have to be honest: I didn’t know what we had still. So we were hoping for a lot of effort, which the girls gave and I’m very pleased that we were able to score as many points as we did.”

Led by freshman Amber Brown, the Vikings were able to capitalize on Woodbridge’s missed jumpers and sloppy passing, more than doubling their lead at halftime, 29-12. Brown was the only player in the game to reach double digits in scoring, pouring in 13 points and adding four rebounds.

South Brunswick gave Johnson his first victory as a head coach by spreading around the rest of the wealth, as five other players scored at least six points.

Jackie Harrison scored nine points and added eight rebounds and Jenna Mastronardi and Casey Savoth each chipped in seven points. Johnson was particularly happy with the play of Mastronardi, who stepped in and ran the point in the absence of Allyson Berger, who missed the game for family reasons.

“Jenna did a great job running the point the entire game and I think she played 27 or 28 minutes,” Johnson said. “I was worried that because we hadn’t played a lot recently that we wouldn’t be in great shape, but Jenna played great.”

Harrison and Mastronardi each scored five points in the second quarter, which ultimately did Woodbridge in. The Barrons committed three turnovers in the quarter, all of which led to South Brunswick baskets.

With a pair of freshmen on the floor for extended minutes, Johnson was anxious that his seniors might not integrate the younger players into the offense. But Brown and Natalia Louhisdon looked comfortable on the court and the results showed. Louhisdon scored eight points and pulled down four boards in her first taste of varsity action.

“I think there were first-game jitters on both sides and it looked like the two teams were the same in those first five or six minutes as we were just feeling each other out,” Johnson said. “I think the freshmen played well. That was the unknown coming into tonight and I’m really happy with how they all played themselves through it.”

Brielle Bannister and Brianna Valdes each scored eight points for Woodbridge, which was trying to get first-year head coach Bob Timinski his first win. The Barrons couldn’t get their jump shots to fall in the second half, as they were playing catch-up. Woodbridge will try again for its first win of the season Monday afternoon against Metuchen.

Having served as an assistant under previous head coach Beth Barrio, Johnson knows how important it is to get a Red Division win under his belt this early in the season.

“You want to win at home and you want to be undefeated here and make it a tough place to play,” he said. “This division that we’re going to be playing for over these next two months is tough, so every win is key. If you can get a lead and keep it and win, it’s very important.”

Cassie Smith, Metuchen High School girls basketball standout. Photo by: Mark R. Sullivan

For Metuchen High School girls basketball star Cassie Smith, there’s been a tremendous amount of growth involved with her game since arriving as a freshman three years ago. Not only did Smith grow in stature, but her game has evolved vastly. Last season as a junior, Smith averaged 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, leading the Bulldogs to an 18-8 record and a berth in the Central Group I semifinals.

Smith has become one of the Greater Middlesex Conference’s top players by working hard on and off the court.

“I’ve grown tremendously since freshman year, as I’ve worked all the time over the summer; working on getting stronger in the weight room and always shooting and getting shots up,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve grown a lot overall, even height wise, and I’ve gotten bigger and stronger since my freshman year and I know I’m not even done growing yet.”

The prospect of Smith growing even more is a scary one to Metuchen’s opponents this season and if you ask first year head coach Pat Mayo, her star’s game is very well-rounded and should strike fear into anyone the Bulldogs play.

“She’s really a complete player; she can play all five positions and if I need her at point guard, she can play it. If I need her to post up, she can post up and she’s very coachable,” Mayo said. “She’s an unselfish leader and I tell her sometimes that I need her to have a sense of urgency. Cassie understands when that comes up and she’ll know when to take over. I don’t need to tell her what to do.”

Sixteen times last season, Smith scored 20 or more points, with a season-high 30 point effort against Dunellen on Feb. 11 leading the way. In two Central Group I games, Smith averaged 25 points and nine rebounds, standing out as a star for the Bulldogs.

But, the biggest feat of her junior season came on Jan. 18 against Cardinal McCarrick. With a short jumper, Smith went over 1,000 career points, becoming just the eighth player in Metuchen history to reach the century mark.

“It was a really cool moment for me and it wasn’t expected at all; I was shocked when I did it, even though I knew I was closing in,” she said. “It was great to do it at home also, I wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else.”

After scoring more than 200 points in the final 11 contests of the 2012-13 season, Smith stands fewer than 50 points from passing former head coach Val Gazda who posted 1,254 as a player.

According to Mayo, Smith has a high basketball IQ, which helps her be so effective in pressure spots on the court. But for the first time in her career, Smith is going to be counted on to be a vocal leader on the court, managing an up-tempo offense and pressure defense that Mayo brings with her from a successful stint at Piscataway.

“I’m one of two seniors on the roster and we’re a very young team and I just need to help guide them down the right paths on the court,” Smith said. “It’s something I’m prepared to do and I’m eager to be that kind of leader.”

But for now, Smith and her Metuchen teammates have lofty goals in mind, most notably going unbeaten in Blue Division play. They can get off to a good start on the front Friday against Middlesex in both schools’ season openers.

Smith is committed to Bentley University following graduation and having the assurance that her career isn’t over when Metuchen’s season ends is comforting to her.

“It’ll be sad when I leave here, but it won’t be as sad if I didn’t have more basketball ahead of me,” she said.