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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Girls' Hoops Showed Heart to the End As it Fell to Peddie in State Prep A Finale
By Bill Alden
The Hun School girls' basketball team thought that it was on the verge of unlocking the mystery that has stumped Prep A teams for years.
After suffering two double-digit losses this season to Peddie which hadn't lost to a state Prep A foe since 1999, Hun trailed the nationally-ranked Falcons by just 28-24 at halftime last Wednesday in the state Prep title game.
"We went into the locker room knowing that we had to keep up the momentum," recalled Hun senior forward Nadine Maeser.
"That's what kept us in the game, the intensity we had on defense. We were mentally prepared. It was upbeat."
Hun, however, lost the momentum in the third quarter as Peddie utilized some sharp shooting from three-point range to build a 46-36 lead going into the fourth quarter.
With Hun apparently running out of gas from the energy it had expended early in the game, Peddie pulled away to a 65-38 win and its ninth consecutive state Prep A title.
While Maeser was disappointed with the final score, she was able to put things in perspective as she reflected on a season in which Hun went 22-3, losing only to Peddie.
"It's still an awesome feeling," asserted Maeser. "We are happy for the season that we had. It's a great finish. To lose to only one team and that one being one of the best in the nation, it's pretty rewarding."
Hun head coach Bill Holup said his team nearly executed the blueprint for springing an upset of Peddie. "We did what we wanted to do which was to be patient on offense and get good shots," said a glum Holup.
"Our best chance was to see if we could get their forwards in trouble and keep them from hitting their threes. Their forwards were in foul trouble but they were shooting well. We got one out of two and that managed to keep us hanging around."
Holup acknowledged that his team misfired too much on offense to pull the upset. "We missed a lot of lay-ups inside the paint area," said Holup who got 17 points from freshman star Emily Gratch and 14 from senior standout Shantee Darrian in the title game.
"I think we shot something like 14-of-42 overall. Against a team like Peddie, you have to drain the shots that you have."
In Holup's view, the Raiders are making progress in their quest to topple Peddie.
"If you look at everybody else in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL), we beat everybody else by an average of 17 points," explained Holup. "So we're above everybody else, we're just below Peddie. Definitely the gap has closed."
Such progress would not have been possible without the efforts of Hun's core of seniors. "They are the ones who have established what future Hun girls will be chasing after," said Holup, referring to his senior group which included Maeser, Darrian, Jill Fonseca, Bis Fries, and Chelsey Baxter.
"They set the standards. They set them to such a high level that Hun girls' basketball is getting some recognition. That's something we've never really had."
Maeser, for her part, recognized that Hun put together something very special even as it fell to Peddie.
"We came out with heart, that's all you can really ask for," asserted Maeser, managing a smile. "It was a great season. The team was awesome. We came together this winter."
