It was a thrilling final regular season game for the Girls Middle School Basketball team as they narrowly defeated Ridge on Friday, 37-36, locking up a first round bye for the playoffs.
The team went down early 0-5 before picking up the pace in the first quarter. Charlotte Yarnall (2027) had 10 points in the first half, including going 6-6 from the free throw line to help right the ship, while Emma Ryan (2027) hit a critical 3-pointer. However Summit still trailed at halftime, 17-21.
Yarnall opened the 3rd with a field goal and Emma Easton (2027) blocked a shot on the next Ridge possession following which Ryan poured in another 3-pointer to give Summit the lead for the first time in the game. Strong defense and timely shooting saw Summit outscore Ridge 17-5 in Q3.
Ridge mounted a comeback in the 4th but ran out of time. Ryan ended with 16 points including four 3-pointers, Yarnall with 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Caroline Willecke (2027) added 3 points to the effort.
Summit (5) has landed a first round bye in the Central Jersey Junior Basketball League single elimination tournament. Their first game will be in Flemington against J.P. Case (4) on Friday, 2/3. This will be a rematch of a tightly contested regular season game in which Summit claimed the victory, 32-30 back on January 4th.