SCOTCH PLAINS - Long shots simply wouldn't fall on either end of the floor between Summit and Scotch Plains-Fanwood, with neither finding the bottom of the net on 3-point attempts deep into the fourth quarter.
But in a tie game in the final minute, Summit's Christina Richson found herself with a clean look in the right corner, and she didn't hesitate to let it fly. Richson buried the triple with 50 seconds to play, putting Summit ahead by three points and setting up a 33-30 victory over Scotch Plains Fanwood on Thursday in Scotch Plains.
Following a defensive stop on the other end, Summit raced back down off an in-bounds pass, with Cassidy O'Malley hitting a layup and drawing a foul. After converting on the 3-point play, Summit led 33-27. Scotch Plains-Fanwood got a late 3-pointer from Erika Muskus, but Summit was able to run out the rest of the clock.
Summit led for the majority of the first half, jumping out to a 6-0 lead behind two early baskets by Caitlin Osmulski. O'Malley scored six points over the course of the first half, but Scotch Plains-Fanwood pushed back in the second quarter.
The Raiders tied the game at 10-10 three minutes into the frame before Summit rattled off five points for a 15-10 advantage. But Scotch Plains-Fanwood closed the quarter on a 6-0 run, getting an off-balance bucket in the lane by Caroline Babis to put the team up 16-15 at the break.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood fell behind by one point early in the third quarter, but it quickly regained control and opened up a six-point advantage in the frame.
O'Malley finished with a game-high 13 points and six blocks for Summit.