Madison High School Girls Basketball Edged by Parsippany

MADISON – According to Madison High School girls basketball coach Stephen Finkelstein, if a team is going to learn how to win, it has to get used to clutch situations. If that's true, then Tuesday night's lesson was harsh, but a necessary step forward.

Madison rallied from five points down in the final minute but fell short, dropping a 35-34 heartbreaker to Independence Division rival Parsippany in the Dodgers' home opener.

"It's good that we could come close with a team like that," said senior guard Rachel Misko. "But we'd like to have won this game."

Madison led by as many as seven in the second half, but Parsippany pulled ahead late in the third quarter and held the lead throughout the fourth.

With 40 seconds left, the Red Hawks led 35-30. But the Dodgers pulled within a point with 11 seconds left on a pair of Nikki Caruso free throws. Parsippany's Kelsey Principe missed the front end of the ensuing 1-and-1 with 9.2 seconds on the clock, and Madison pulled down the rebound and moved the ball up the court.

But as Finkelstein tried to call timeout to set up a play, Ali Foulsham launched a 25-foot heave with five seconds remaining. It fell short, and the Red Hawks (1-1) were able to run out the clock.

Foulsham's seven points were instrumental in giving Madison a seven-point halftime lead.

Caruso scored 11 points and Misko added 10 for Madison, which suffered its second loss by one point this season. Madison lost, 33-32, at Kittatinny in Friday's season opener.

Though the Dodgers (1-2) fell short of a win, Finkelstein pointed to the third quarter, where Parsippany outscored Madison 12-4 to erase the Dodgers' 21-14 halftime lead, as Madison's undoing.

"We came out flat, just like we have in every third quarter (so far this season)," Finkelstein said. "And every time the tide turns, we get that 'oh no, same-old same-old' feeling. Confidence is such a huge factor for this team."

Madison's lead was still seven points, 23-16, after Chelsea Davies broke the Parsippany press for a layup with 5:20 to go in the quarter. From that point on, Parsippany's full court trap made life difficult for the Dodgers. Madison turned the ball over on six of seven possessions, and three consecutive post layups by the Red Hawks' Ashley Burroughs pulled Parsippany within one point.

Tori Ellis' 15-footer with 1:46 to go in the third put Madison ahead 25-22, but another Burroughs layup, followed by a long jumper from Alyssa Kustanis put Parsippany in front at the end of Madison's disastrous third quarter.

The Red Hawks concluded a 16-4 run midway through the fourth, when Burroughs hit two free throws to give Parsippany a 32-27 lead with 3:07 to go.

Caruso, the junior forward, responded by repeatedly attacking the basket and drawing contact. All of her team-high 11 points came from the free throw line (11-for-16).

"Nikki is one of the most aggressive players on the team," Finkelstein said. "She maybe doesn't have the speed of some of our other players, but she's fearless. She'll find a way to get to the rim."

Caruso scored Madison's final seven points, including four clutch free throws in the final minute pulled the Dodgers within one point, setting up the frantic finish.

Lost in the shuffle of both teams' dueling comebacks was the Dodgers' own sterling defensive effort. A suffocating zone defense held Parsippany to just four made field goals in the first half, and very few looks inside. And the Red Hawks had trouble dealing with the active hands of Sam Cicconi, who caused havoc and turnovers for the Parsippany guards.

"She was the difference maker on defense," Finkelstein said. "The way she pressured and guarded their players was huge for us."

Behind that effort, and first-half offensive contributions from Misko (eight points) and Foulsham (seven points), Madison surged to its largest lead, 21-13, just before halftime.

"We came out strong, and sometimes teams underestimate us," Misko said. "We knew what we had to do, we just had to execute."

SCORING SUMMARY

Parsippany (1-1, 1-0)    7   7   12  10  --  35

Madison (1-2, 0-1)      10  11    4  10  --  34

INDIVIDUAL SCORING:

PAR- Ashley Burroughs 13, Niyah Lamar 7, Ausun Malta 6, Nicole Herbst 5, Alyssa Kustanis 4

MAD- Nikki Caruso 11, Rachel Misko 10, Ali Foulsham 7, Chelsea Davies 4, Tori Ellis 2