Big win for Howell girls in SCT
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above, Howell’s Colleen Thomas looks to emerge from between a pair of Point Pleasant Borough defenders during their SCT game on Feb. 18 in Howell. At left, Brianne Lavin splits the defense on her way up court.

The Howell High School girls basketball team picked up an important win on the hardwood last week in the opening round of the Shore Conference Tournament.

Julie Hoebee’s Rebels needed a victory in the worst way at home Wednesday to legitimize their strong second half of the season. Despite finishing the campaign with an 8-2 record, there were still some nonbelievers. All the good work the Rebels had done would be forgotten if the girls fell to Pt. Pleasant Boro.

The knew it, and responded with a sound 60-31 win.

At Howell, the long-range shooting of Jaime Biddle helped break open a tight game in the second half.

Courtney Krol and Ashley Healy were the key weapons down low for the Rebels as they dominated the glass on both ends of the floor. They scored on offensive rebounds and helped Howell, the No. 15 seed, gain a more than two-to-one edge in foul-shot attempts (14-6). The Panthers, seeded 16th, had no answer for the them, and the Rebels were well aware of that.

"We knew we could use our size to our advantage," said Hoebee. "We like to play inside-out."

The hard work of Krol and Healy steadily took its toll on the Panthers and softened them up inside. With the Panthers’ attention turned to stopping the duo in the paint, there was room for Howell’s outside shooters to operate and Biddle took advantage of it. She knocked down three treys in the second half, sparking a 37-10 run in the final quarter-and-a-half to turn the game into a rout.

It was textbook basketball at its best, balancing the inside-outside game to the point that the Panthers were defenseless.

Biddle and Healy shared game-high honors with 13, while Krol netted eight.

Brianne Lavin was her usual disruptive self on defense, forcing the Panthers’ guards into several turnovers and turning her steals into points for the Rebels.

"Lavin kept us in the game with her little hands and quick feet," said Hoebee. "She did a great job defensively."

It was Howell’s first win in the SCT’s current format.

The prize for Howell was a game Fri­day night in the Round of 16 against de­fending champion and No. 2 seed Red Bank Catholic. Hoebee welcomed the ex­perience that going into the second round against state-ranked RBC brought to her young team (Krol and Healy are the only seniors in the rotation).

The hosting Caseys out-scored Howell 25-13 in the second half to secure a 46-29 win. The Rebels led 10-9 after one period and trailed by just 21-16 at the half.

Ali Goldsmith led the Rebels with eight points.

The Rebels are 14-8 and looking ahead to the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs that begin on Monday for them at home against Rancocas Valley.