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NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Section 2 Group 1

The Star Ledger – March 7, 2015

Sectional Semi – Finals

Led by Morang, New Providence upsets No. 12 Secaucus

New Providence (47) vs Secaucus (43)

The last unbeaten team in New Jersey has fallen.

On Saturday afternoon, New Providence took down No. 12 Secaucus, who entered the game 27-0, in a thrilling 47-43 contest. With the victory, the Pioneers punched their ticket to the NJSIAA/ShopRite North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 tournament finals.

Saturday’s game was an absolute thriller, with the two teams going back-and-forth throughout the 32 minutes of play. Down the majority of the game, the Pioneers entered the fourth quarter with a 35-34 lead following a bucket by Katie Kinum right before the end of the third.

And in the final eight minutes of play, both teams refused to back down. With 13 seconds left in regulation, following a New Providence turnover, Secaucus had an opportunity to force overtime, but a three-point attempt rimmed out. Kinum knocked down one-of-two free throws after being fouled to secure the nail-biting win.

“We came into this one believing that if we played our game and we were smart, good things would happen,” New Providence head coach Cap Pazdera said. “This was a total team effort for us today. We had two starters foul out in the final minute, but we had girls step up for us when we needed them to.”

T his certainly was the case. Florida commit Sydney Morang was called for her fifth foul with 1:11 remaining, while fellow starter Sarah Zeto fouled out shortly after. However, clutch free-throw shooting by Kinum and Emily Molstad helped the Pioneers earn the semifinal win.

As for Morang, the future SEC guard had one heck of a performance. She finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

“Her play was just greats and she’s like that every day for us,” Pazdera said. “She gets pushed around sometimes and shorter girls think they can get away with stuff down there, but she just handles it like a champ.”

For Secaucus, Julia McClure put on a show from the outside, knocking down four threes. The Wagner commit finished with a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Andie Lennon added 13 points for the Patriots.

“Secaucus is an outstanding team,” Pazdera said. “We knew we had to do our best to not give them the threes that they’re comfortable taking. During the season I think they made more than 300 threes, just a ridiculous number. We wanted to contest their shots and make them drive to the basket. I think we did a good job of that."

The Pioneers will now face the winner of Shabazz/University for the sectional championship on Tuesday, March 9.

“This is a big win for our program,” Pazdera said. “We made our schedule tough this year so it would help us be prepared in a spot like this going up a great opponent like Secaucus. The hard work during the season has definitely paid off for us.”

VIDEO: Watch New Providence celebrate its 47-43 victory over No. 12 Secaucus

NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Section 2 Group 1

March 9, 2015 – The Star Ledger

Sectional Finals

Redemption: Big second half by Sydney Morang helps

New Providence take down Shabazz 50-45

By Braulio Perez

Monday night's tilt between Shabazz and New Providence will certainly be talked about for quite some time. The two teams battled it out for an exciting 32 minutes of action. In the end, though, the Pioneers came out on top with a 50-45 victory.

Sydney Morang still recalls the 2014 postseason when her and her New Providence teammates lost to Shabazz in the sectional finals.

So this time around, the Florida commited, wanted to make sure the Pioneers were the ones doing the celebrating at midcourt after the final whistle. And on Monday evening, they did just that.

New Providence got redemption on Shabazz, taking down the defending champion Bulldogs 50-45 in the NJSIAA/ShopRite North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 tournament final. Morang finished with a game-high 23 points.

“This just feels awesome,” Morang said. “I obviously haven’t been able to do this yet in my high school career. We played them last year and it was a tough game, so to come out on top this time around means a lot to us."

It was truly a down-to-the-wire contest, with both teams making clutch shots throughout. In the first half, Shabazz started off hot and continued its strong play in the second quarter. At halftime the Bulldogs were up 26-24.

In the third quarter, though, New Providence started catching fire, specifically Morang. After being held to eight first-half points, the junior talent scored 11 points in the third to help the Pioneers enter the fourth quarter up 40-35.

And in the fourth quarter, Shabazz continued to put the pressure on the Pioneers, eventually cutting its deficit to 46-45 with 1:13 left in regulation following a shot by Acestra Robinson, who finished with a team-high 14 points.

However, Katie Kinum, who scored 19 points, drilled a jumper with 44 seconds left to give the Pioneers a 48-45 lead. Morang blocked a shot on Shabazz’s next trip down the floor and hit a free throw to make it 49-45. Kinum added a free throw shortly after to close the scoring at 50-45.

“We played Secaucus in a close game like this a few days ago and it was very similar,” Morang said. “We knew how to keep our composure and keep our cool when things got a little hectic.

“Coach does a really great job of keeping us calm and he told us that if we played our game today, we could come out with a win. Obviously Shabazz was making some really big shots and shot well, but we came out strong and got the win.”

This is New Providence’s first sectional title win since 2011.

“Before the game, we told the team they had to play the girls on the floor and not the program (Shabazz),” New Providence head coach Cap Pazdera said. “We knew if we played tough defense, we could compete with them and we could beat them. I’m proud of the girls for getting it done.”

NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Section 2 Group 1

March 11, 2015 – The Star Ledger

State Semi - Finals

New Providence (55) vs Hasbrouck Heights (42)

New Providence girls basketball, behind Sydney Morang's 25 points, tops Hasbrouck Heights in Group 1 semifinals

FRANKLIN LAKES -- Sydney Morang was just too much to handle.

The junior forward took over early and stayed hot throughout the night, scoring 19 points in the first half and finishing with 25 when New Providence defeated Hasbrouck Heights, 55-42, in the NJSIAA/ShopRite Group 1 semifinals on Wednesday at Ramapo High School.

Morang, who is committed to the University of Florida, was just as dominant in other aspects of the game. She consistently got on the glass, especially on the offensive end, providing her team with second- and third-chance opportunities. The 6-foot standout also blocked five shots.

"She just has so many facets to her game," Aviators coach Amanda Kistner said. "She has an inside game with her height, she's got the shooting outside. It's just, she's that all-around player that every team would love to have and hates to defend."

The Pioneers will continue their season in the Group 1 final Sunday at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River against the winner of Thursday's game between South River and Haddon Township at Deptford High School.

"It's awesome. I've never been in this spot," Morang said. "When I was in seventh or eighth grade, New Providence made it and I was there watching the final. It's an awesome feeling now to be able to be on the court playing for it, so I'm excited. Our whole team is looking forward to this."

While Morang controlled the game, Katie Kinum was equally important to New Providence's success. The sophomore, who finished with 13 points, provided a secondary threat that kept the Hasbrouck Heights defense honest and allowed Morang extra room to operate.

"If you put too much attention on Syd, Katie does like to step up into that role," New Providence coach Cap Pazdera said. "She can score many different ways, so it's great having her there to step into that role and fill that role."

Emily Molstad also chipped in with nine points for New Providence.

Those points turned out to be crucial, as many of them came in the third quarter when Hasbrouck Heights did its best to claw back into the game. After falling behind by 16 points at halftime, the Aviators cut New Providence's lead to six points late in the third quarter, in large part due to a handful of 3-pointers.

Stacy Porzi scored 18 points, including two 3-pointers, to lead the charge. Sami Partylza added 12 points, all of which came from behind the arc.

But in the end, Morang and the Pioneers were able to weather the storm and hang on for a 13-point victory.

"We put this goal on our list," Pazdera said. "We had a list of goals that we put in front of the team at our preseason meeting and one of them was to get to win the Group 1 championship. To get to this game means a lot."

Group 1 State Finals: Projected Lineups, Keys to Victory

New Providence (21-9) vs. Haddon Township (26-3)

When: Noon Sunday at Pine Belt Arena

PROJECTED LINEUPS

NEW PROVIDENCE

Katie Kinum

Hannah Caminiti

Sarah Zeto

Emily Molstad

Sydney Morang

HADDON TOWNSHIP

Morgan Lenahan

Bella Preziosi

Alayxiah Carr

Sarah Getzinger

Grace Marshall

THEY WIN IF...

The Pioneers have been on a roll, led by the play of junior talent Sydney Morang. The Florida commit has scored at least 20 points in her last five games. The sharpshooting lefty is a threat from the outside and can also finish close to the hoop. New Providence will need Morang to be on her A-game and also receive some help from other contributors, including Katie Kinum.

Haddon Township will have to do a good job of defending Morang. If they can prevent the future SEC player from catching fire, it'll be huge. Offensively, look for Morgan Lenahan to lead the team. Lenahan is averaging over 22 points per game in the last three contests. If the Hawks can limit Morang and Lenahan can play as well as she's been playing, they'll be in a position to come out on top

THE PICK New Providence

NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Section 2 Group 1

March 15, 2015 – NJ Advance Media

State Finals

New Providence (32) vs Haddon Township (30)

By James Kratch

TOMS RIVER — The first half of Sunday's NJSIAA/ShopRite Group 1 final was not exactly ideal for Haddon Township.

The Hawks shot 3-of-22 from the field, including 1-of-14 from 3-point range, and found themselves down 13 points at intermission to New Providence.

"Our shots, they just weren't falling for us," said junior guard Morgan Lenehan.

But the first half was not a cause for panic, either.

“We just had too many possessions where they weren’t high percentage shots,” Hawks coach Tom Mulligan said. “Out of their 20 points in the first half, it was either six or eight that (came) in transition off long rebounds. We talked about high percentage shots, inside-out or in the paint.”

Haddon Township did just that to start the third quarter, embarking on a 10-0 run to get right back in it. The Hawks then tied the game at 22 right before the end of the period, and grabbed their only lead of the game, 24-22, with 7:13 left in the game on a layup by Lenehan.

But in the end, the hill was too steep to scale, as New Providence reclaimed the lead three minutes later and held on from there for a 32-30 triumph here at Pine Belt Arena.

“When we settled down to start the half, and our guards accepting getting into the paint and creating things,” Mulligan said, “it really just opened things up for us. ... I'm proud of the way our kids handled themselves in the second half."

The loss was Haddon Township's second straight in the Group 1 final, as the Hawks fell, 80-49, to eventual Tournament of Champion winner Shabazz last year. This defeat was looking like it could also be a lopsided affair coming out of halftime, but the Hawks did not let that happen.

Haddon Township (26-4) still struggled from the arc in the second half, shooting 1-of-7, but made marked improvement from the floor, shooting 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) while scoring 18 points in the paint after managing just four in the first half.

The Hawks also shifted to a triangle-and-2 defense in the second half, which slowed New Providence considerably in the third quarter, when it was outscored by the Hawks 15-2. But the Pioneers adjusted in the fourth quarter, taking a 32-28 lead with 42 seconds left on a basket by Florida-bound standout Sydney Morang (11 points, 11 rebounds).

Lenehan would pull the Hawks to within a score, 32-30, with a driving layup with four seconds left. But Haddon Township could not get a foul on the ensuing inbounds as New Providence (22-9) held on.

Lenehan led all scorers with 17 points. Alayxiah Carr, despite playing on what is believed to be a severely sprained MCL that limited her the entire game, finished with 11 rebounds.

“I thought we did a lot of good things out there against a well-coached team and a very good team,” Mulligan said. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of."

As most of you know by now, Pine Belt Arena is the place to be this weekend. And at noon on Sunday, New Providence and Haddon Township will square off for the Group 1 title.

GAME INFO:

New Providence vs. Haddon Township at noon on Sunday at Pine Belt Arena

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

New Providence had no trouble taking down Hasbrouck Heights in the Group 1 semifinal, earning a 55-42 win. In the victory, the team was led in scoring by Florida commit Sydney Morang, who scored 25 points.

Haddon Township cruised to a monster win over South River in the other semifinal, earning a 56-27 victory. In the win, Morgan Lenahan scored a team-high 16 points.

KEY PLAYERS

Haddon Township: Morgan Lenahan, Bella Preziosi and Sarah Getzinger

New Providence: Sydney Morang, Katie Kinum and Emily Molstad

NEW PROVIDENCE WILL WIN IF:

HADDON TOWNSHIP WILL WIN IF:

It goes without saying, but Haddon Township will have to do a good job of defending Morang. If they can prevent the future SEC player from catching fire, it'll be huge. Offensively, look for Morgan Lenahan to lead the team. Lenahan is averaging over 22 points per game in the last three contests. If the Hawks can limit Morang and Lenahan can play as well as she's been playing, they'll be in a position to come out on top.

PREDICTION:

Both teams have what it takes to capture the win and punch their ticket to the Tournament of Champions. It'll come down to a late shot and key defensive stop. New Providence 47-44

NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Section 2 Group 1

March 15, 2015 – The Star Ledger

State Finals

Rapid Reaction: New Providence 32, Haddon Township 30

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

New Providence senior Emily Molstad's middle name might not be clutch, but she certainly played that way on Sunday afternoon. With the score tied at 28-28 with 1:10 to go, Molstad hauled in an offensive rebound following a miss by Sydney Morang and gave the Pioneers the lead with an easy two. Moments before, Molstad tied things up at 26-26 with another big shot. She finished with eight points and six rebounds and had ice in her veins down the stretch.

WHAT A THIRD QUARTER:

Down 20-7 after the first half, Haddon Township came out of the gates red hot to open the third quarter. The Hawks opened the second half on a 10-0 and held the Pioneers scoreless for more than six minutes. Haddon Township then closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to even things up at 22-22 entering the fourth. It was an unbelievable comeback by the Hawks, who showed plenty of heart throughout the game.

DEFINITION OF TEAM EFFORT:

Usually, Morang will score more than 20 points to lead New Providence to victory. Not this time, though. The junior talent was limited to 11 points, meaning other players stepped up for the Pioneers. Molstad scored eight points, Katie Kinum added seven points and Sarah Zeto scored six points. Zeto and Molstad both had gigantic buckets in the fourth quarter to help the Pioneers come out on top. Following the game, head coach Cap Pazdera said he couldn't be more proud of the total team effort from his team displayed at Pine Belt Arena.

NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Section 2 Group 1

Courier News – March 1, 2015

Preview and Predictions

By Simeon Pincus, and Matt

North 2 Group I

Favorite: Secaucus

Contenders: New Providence

Sleeper: Shabazz

Player(s) to Watch: Sydney Morang, New Providence; Julia McClure, Secaucus

Outlook: Ranked in the state Top 20, undefeated Hudson County champion and No. 1 seed Secaucus is going to be tough to beat, but fourth-seeded New Providence could be the team to do it. Led by Florida commit Sydney Moran, the Pioneers came within one bad quarter of knocking off Non-Public power The Patrick School last week in the Union County Tournament semifinals and are certainly capable of playing with powerhouse clubs. Sixth-seeded Shabazz, which has been the class of the state in recent seasons with two straight TOC titles and seven consecutive group crowns, looks to have taken a step back this year, but is still very capable of winning the section.

Projected final: Secaucus over Shabazz

The Courier News – March 15, 2015

Molstad, Zeto lead New Providence to Group I title

by Matt Silva,

TOMS RIVER – With the lead heading into the second half, the New Providence girls basketball team had a healthy lead 20-7 lead, but the Pioneers' offense started to cool down. Fortunately, the duo of Emily Molstad and Sarah Zeto stepped up their rebounding for critical scores to help New Providence to a championship.

Molstad and Zeto grabbed eight rebounds each to help New Providence defeat Haddon Township 32-30 in the Group I championship at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River on Sunday.

Haddon Township took a 24-22 lead to start the fourth and Molstad praised her team for coming back from their first deficit of the game and combat a strong push from the Hawks.

"It was great that we could do that," said Molstad. "We've tried to do it in past games before. Just take a second, step back and refocus. We kept telling ourselves that they were going to make shots, but we just have to be smart with the ball, get the rebounds and eventually we'll get it back."

RELATED: Team effort lifts New Providence to Group I championship

Molstad came away with a huge offensive rebound and put back in the final minute of play that broke a 28-28 tie and explained that the team wanted to go inside as the Pioneers lost their shooting touch.

"I think in just one of our timeouts we realized that we needed to continue to crash the boards," said Molstad. "We realized that it was more beneficial for us to attack the middle because our shots weren't falling outside. Once we started attacking the middle and getting those offensive rebounds it really worked out."

The Pioneers were 6-28 from the field in the second half. Three of those shots came from Molstad and two came from Zeto. The sophomore guard was fouled converting her

offensive putback and missed the free throw on the three-point play, but it showed that even the smallest player on the team was willing to get into the fray.

"I like to rebound. It's so much fun. I just like to go out and have fun," said the 5'3" Zeto. "Rebounding is always important and we wanted to make sure we were controlling the defensive rebounds. Then the offensive rebounds were there to give us second chances. That helped a lot."

New Providence coach Cap Pazdera added that Zeto is more than meets the eye and that her size doesn't define her play.

"One of the most tenacious players I have ever coached. People underestimate her because of her size," said Pazdera. "You'd think small girl, nice girl and not going to hurt you, but she's a fierce competitor. She'll get rebounds, play tough defense and clearly not afraid to go to the basket and challenge the bigs. She had a tremendous game today."

Every point mattered as junior forward Sydney Morang scored just two points in the second half after totaling nine in the first half. Katie Kinum was held without a point in the second half as well.

Pazdera has been harping on his team to do the little things, especially when Morang and Kinum aren't firing on all cylinders. That message helped the Pioneers in the end, giving them their first Group I championship since their back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011.

"We talk about it all the time that our offense does not just come from Katie and Sydney. We've got to find offense in other places. Emily took a couple shots that she missed and we encouraged her to keep shooting. We said to Sarah if you have an opportunity, you look to attack and thankfully they went in for us."

The Alternative Press - March 10, 2015

Pioneers Celebrate Championship,

Set Eyes on Group 1 Semifinal

By TIM LECRAS

NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ – If you show any other high school girls’ basketball coach in the state the schedule that Cap Pazdera put together for his Lady Pioneers this season, just about every single one of them would say “They’re crazy.”

Not only did Pazdera schedule state power Manasquan, but he also moved his girls up a division in their conference so they could play the likes of The Patrick School, Roselle Catholic and Westfield twice during the season.

His reasoning? To prepare for one team and one team only – Malcolm X. Shabazz.

“The coaching staff got together before the season started and said ‘What do we need to do in order to get through this [Shabazz] game?” Pazdera said. “We said ‘One, we need to make our schedule tougher. We need to play this level of competition during the season so that we’re ready for it.”

From the outside, Pazdera’s experiment looked like an utter disaster. The Pioneers went a combined 1-5 against the Celtics, Lions and Blue Devils. But, the argument took a 180-degree spin on Monday when the Pioneers defeated Shabazz in the North Jersey 2, Group 1 final.

“Its awesome especially against a team that is obviously known for winning and being really, really good,” Florida-bound junior Sydney Morang said. “For a small school, it's a great win for us. My team has obviously been looking forward to this and working hard the whole entire season to get to this point, so its very rewarding.”

Morang and sophomore Katie Kinum combined to score 40 of New Providence’s 50 points in their second straight upset victory in the state tournament after beating No. 1 Secaucus on Saturday.

Kinum dominated the first half, scoring nine points while running the Lady Pioneers’ offense when Morang was effectively taken out of the game by Shabazz’s double-team.

“I just wanted to do anything I could to win,” Kinum said. “If that meant scoring, if that meant me scoring, I did what I could. I took the opportunity and I saw it. Once Sydney got hot, we kept giving her the ball.”

Trailing by two at halftime, New Providence went on a 16-9 run throughout the third quarter to take a five point lead heading into the final period.

The Lady Pioneers led the championship game for the final 12 minutes due in part to Morang’s 15-point second half performance. She and the rest of the team kept the Bulldogs an arms length apart until the final two minutes.

With New Providence holding a one-point lead, Kinum and Sarah Zeto hit two shots that essentially sealed the title for the Pioneers.

“Coming in here as a freshman, with the such great team they had last year, it was awesome to play them and we knew we could come back,” Kinum said. “This was our year. To come and beat them was awesome. To be back here in the same position is awesome.”

New Providence now sets their sites on Wednesday and Hasbrouck Heights, their Group 1 semifinal opponent.

Both Kinum and Morang said the Pioneers need to continue exactly what they’ve done all year: play hard-nosed defense and as a team, to which Pazdera agrees.

“We beat two very tough teams to be where we are right now,” Pazdera said. “We're not going to let people take us for granted. We’re going to focus on the next game, play as hard as we can and hopefully make it to the group finale and prove that we belong to be there.”

Tip-off for the Group 1 semifinal is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes.

The Alternative News - March 15, 2015

Lady Pioneers Defeat Haddon, 32-30,

Claim First Group 1 Title Since 2011

By TIM LECRAS

Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 10:02 PM

TOMS RIVER, NJ – New Providence girls’ basketball head coach Cap Pazdera has said all year that there is more to his team than Sydney Morang and Katie Kinum. The Lady Pioneers proved that in the NJSIAA Group 1 Championship on Sunday at Poland Spring Arena.

With Haddon Township holding Morang and Kinum to just two points in the second half, Sarah Zeto, Emily Molstad and Brielle Carleen stepped up in the final 10 minutes of regulation to lead the Lady Pioneers to a 32-30 victory over the Hawks.

“The other girls needed to step up and they did,” Pazdera said. “We’ve been talking all year about how its not just Katie and Sydney. Emily stepped up, Bre stepped up and played good defense. Sarah had some big baskets at the end. Again, its all five girls on the floor. You stop Sydney and Katie, someone else is going to have an opportunity.”

Zeto and Molstad stepped up in a big way in the fourth quarter. With the Pioneers trailing by two in the opening minute, the duo scored six straight points to put New Providence back on top, 28-24.

Haddon’s Sarah Getzinger answered quickly with back-to-back baskets to re-tie the score. However, Molstad responded in a big way.

Following a Kinum miss, Molstad picked up the offensive rebound and immediately kissed the ball off the backboard and into the net to put the Lady Pioneers up for good.

“I think we just realized that once they shut Sydney and Katie down, we had to start looking for other people to score,” Molstad said. “We can try to set screens for them and get them open, but I think we knew the other three of us had to step up.”

Once New Providence regained the lead, they focused their attention back to stopping Haddon’s shooting threat Morgan Lenahan.

“We knew that she’s a great shooter,” Morang said on Lenahan. “She wasn’t going to miss her shots the entire game. We wanted to stay out far for her and then she started driving the basket so we knew we had to work on stopping her.”

Lenahan was a thorn in the Lady Pioneers’ side for most of the game. With New Providence leading 20-7 at halftime, she led the Hawks on a 15-2 run through the third quarter that culminated in Haddon taking a lead in the early moments of the fourth quarter.

However, after Lenahan scored on a layup to put the Hawks up 24-22, New Providence held her to just two points for the remainder of the game and only allowed six more points the rest of the way.

Morang led all Pioneers with 11 points, while Molstad added eight and Kinum seven. All six of Zeto’s points came in the second half.

This is the Pioneers first Group 1 title since 2011.

“I have been blessed with phenomenal players,” Pazdera said. “I couldn’t do this without the girls and the coaching staff that I have. I feel very blessed to have been a part of this program for the past 10 years and be around the type of talent and the type of people that I get to coach and that I get to coach with. I am very, very lucky.”

The victory pushes New Providence into the Tournament of Champions, which begins Tuesday night in Toms River. The Lady Pioneers earned the No. 6 seed in the field and will play No. 3 St. John Vianney in the first round. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Poland Spring Arena

NJSIAA State Tournament – North Jersey Group 1

The Alternative News - March 11, 2015

New Providence Beats Hasbrouck Heights,

Advances to Group 1 Final

By STEVE BASSIN

FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ - It has been five days of humongous celebration for the New Providence High School girls’ basketball team. After knocking off undefeated Secaucus and beating Shabazz to win the NJSIAA North Jersey 2, Group 1 title, the Lady Pioneers defeated Hasbrouck Heights, 55-42, on Wednesday to advance to the Group 1 championship game.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” junior forward Sydney Morang said. “We worked really hard all season long knowing we had a team that could get this far and tonight we had to do to get the win.”

From the start of the game, Morang was unstoppable. Morang scored 19 of her game-high 25 points in the first half, hitting four 3-pointers in the process.

“I was just trying to get my shot going and getting good looks at the basket,” the Lady Pioneers leading scorer said. “They were leaving me open in the corner a lot from 3-point range and I tried to take advantage of it.”

Morang also made her presence known on defense, blocking five shots in the game.

Going into the half, the Lady Pioneers held a commanding 33-17 lead over Hasbrouck Heights.

New Providence continued to control the contest in the second, cruising to a 13-point victory over the Aviators.

“It’s a special feeling to be able to coach this team to an appearance in the state finals,” New Providence head coach Cap Pazdera said. “Every year our goal is to win a Group 1 state championship and we’re happy we’re going to get the opportunity to reach that goal this year.”

Katie Kinum and Emily Molstad also contributed big nights for the Lady Pioneers. Kinum dropped in 13 points, while Molstad added nine points, including seven in the second half.

New Providence improves to 21-9 with the victory and will advance to the Group 1 championship for the first time since 2010.

“Which ever team we have to play, we’re going to have to be at our best to win,” Pazdera said. “Tonight I don’t think we executed offensively or defensively at times like we should have, so will work on that in practice to make sure that we execute in all phases of the game to best of our abilities.”

New Providence will play the winner of the South River and Haddon Township game in the Group 1 state final on Sunday at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River.