The Madison High School girls basketball team lost to the Hanover Park Hornets on Tuesday night, 43-28. This was the second meeting and the second loss that the Hornets dealt the Dodgers this season.
"They're the fifth seed, but I think they are the best team we have faced all year," said Dodgers head coach Stephen Finkelstein. "This team is the most complete we have seen. If you try to take away the high looks, they can just shoot from the outside."
Height has been a problem for the Dodgers all year, and the trend continued on Tuesday night against Hanover Park. Annie Esposito and Lauren Dougherty were dominating in the middle, pulling down rebounds all night and making layups.
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Esposito had 12 points in the game, with 10 in the third quarter. Dougherty scored 10 in the game. Nikki Caruso led in scoring for the Dodgers, with nine. Ali Foulsham scored eight in the game, two of them 3-pointers.
Although the Dodgers did not score for the first four minutes of the game, the first quarter was close, with Madison fighting back from a 9-3 start to end the quarter trailing only by three, 12-9. Foulsham scored five in the first quarter alone, more than anyone on either team.
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Sam Cicconi played well for the Dodgers throughout the game, scoring four points in the first quarter and playing a tough in-your-face style of defense that kept the Hornets on their heels throughout the game. Despite being down significantly throughout the game, Cicconi never stopped hustling.
"I know I'm not one of the main shooters on the team," Cicconi said. "My main aspect is defense, to try to shut down the shooters on the other team, and to set a good example for the other girls. Even if we are down by 20, you never know, we could come back."
Cicconi's attitude was clearly shared by her teammates. The Dodgers were losing 22-13 going into the third quarter, but they came out of the locker room playing a more fast-paced style of defense than they had in the first half.
"We try to make up for a lack of height by using our speed," said Chelsea Davies, a senior on the Madison squad.
The Dodgers' full-court press, led by Cicconi, had the Hornets confused at first, but they were able to adjust and keep scoring. Going into the fourth quarter, Hanover Park held the lead, 38-23.
Halfway through the fourth quarter it was the Madison boys game that was on the crowd's mind, with students and parents alike checking their phones for updates. The second that the boys lost in East Hanover, the fans in Madison knew. The Dodgers boys' undefeated season had ended, and both the Madison boys and girls were defeated by their East Hanover rivals on the same night.
The Madison girls suffered a similar loss to Hanover Park the last time they met, losing 46-33 in an effort that was led Dougherty and Esposito.
"We've had match-up problems all year," said Finkelstein.
The next Madison girls basketball game will be against Chatham on Thursday, Feb. 11. The scheduled time is 7 p.m., but due to other sports being cancelled or postponed on Wednesday from snow, the time could be changed to accommodate for re-scheduled events from Wednesday.
Chatham (15-4) has been having an impressive season and has won its last five games. Madison, facing a stretch of tough teams, has lost its last five.
