Girls Basketball Fights Hard, but Eliminated From State Tournament

The Madison High School girls basketball team was eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs against the Science Park Chargers, 49-42, in Newark on Tuesday night. Ezinne Kalu, a Science Park senior and the first girl to score 2,000 career points at the school, scored 35 points to lead her team to the win.

"We're going to have to stop No. 23 (Kalu), if we want to win," said Madison coach Stephen Finklestein before the game.

But the Dodgers could not stop Kalu, who started off slowly but ended up controlling the ball and the scoreboard for most of the game.

Science Park held the lead comfortably for the first three quarters, but the Dodgers made a fourth-quarter run that brought them within one point of tying the game.

Sam Cicconi started the game off with a rebound, breakaway, and a lay-up for the Dodgers, but those were the only two points that Madison would score in the first quarter. Science Park responded with an 11-0 run, led by Kalu, who scored five in the first.

Both the Dodgers and the Chargers scored 10 in the second quarter, with all of Science Park's points coming from Kalu. Mackenzie Ellis led in scoring for the Dodgers at half, with five, while Kalu's total at that point was 15.

Kalu scored seven in the first five minutes of the third quarter, but after committing her fourth foul of the game Science Park was forced to bench her to keep her fouling out of the game.

"I was full of anxiety," Kalu said. "I'm the backbone of the team, I have to be in to lead them."

Her importance became apparent as Madison began to come back toward the end of the third quarter and into the fourth. Nikki Caruso hit a three pointer to end the third quarter, bringing the score to 34-23 Chargers.

Caruso kept scoring in the fourth, hitting three two-pointers, a three-pointer, and two foul shots for 11 total points.

"I just wanted to get momentum going," Caruso said. "We had nothing to lose. I wanted to leave it all on the court."

As Kalu looked on, the Dodgers came charging back. With 1:20 remaining in the game, Ali Foulsham was fouled and sank both foul shots for Madison, cutting the lead to one, 41-40.

"I was ready, and I knew I had to make up for the four fouls," said Kalu, who went on a tear in the last minute, increasing the Science Park lead, 49-42, where it stood at the end.

"Foul trouble killed us," Finklestein said. "The fact that Chelsea (Davies) had four fouls in the first half killed us."

Although Kalu had only played for the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, she had scored 13 points, and was the only scorer for Science Park during the quarter.

"She is great for a reason. I really respect her. They had supreme confidence when she did come back in," Finklestein said.

The loss concludes the season for the Dodgers, who went 10-13 in the regular season, and earned their first state playoff bid in years.