Highland Park Girls Hoops Advance in CJ Group 1

Lady Owls Roll into Sectional Quarterfinals with 53-33 Win over Woodbridge Magnet

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ – Prior to the start of the Highland Park boys basketball team’s first round contest against David Brearley of Kenilworth in the 2023 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 1 State Tournament, the Lady Owls took the floor for its first round game versus 11th seeded Woodbridge Magnet.

While the Owls’ boys basketball team has enjoyed success it hasn’t seen in over two decades, Highland Park’s girls basketball team is also on the rise with a 15-10 record.  Despite competing in the GMC Blue with the likes of Spotswood, Metuchen, and South River, the Lady Owls managed to finish third, swept the Lady Rams, and split with the Lady Chargers and Lady Bulldogs, the first and second place teams in the division.

Meanwhile, the Lady Hornets, which won the GMC Gold a year ago behind 1,000 point scorer, Hena Thakkar, still managed to qualify for the post-season despite having a transition season.  Woodbridge Magnet lost its first five games of the season, and lost 8 of its last 11 coming in, but still had a 9-14 overall record including an 8-7 mark in the GMC Gold.

Both teams played Mother Seton during the course of the season with the Lady Hornets sweeping the season series with a 38-32 victory in Clark on January 4th, and a 47-45 win in Woodbridge on January 14th.  Meanwhile, the Lady Owls played the Setters in the 2023 GMCT Girls Play-In Round on February 4th, and rolled to a 47-8 victory.  Both teams also played J.P. Stevens and lost.

Highland Park didn’t waste any time taking control of this contest.  The Lady Owls jumped out to a 17-6 first quarter lead, and then added an 18-7 showing in the second for a 35-13 advantage at the intermission.  Highland Park then outscored Woodbridge Magnet by a margin of 14-9 in the third to take a 49-22 lead, and then coasted to a 53-33 victory.

Senior forward, Ozioma Odikanwa led the charge for Highland Park with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds while also collecting 3 steals.  Sophomore Vanessa Kohler also chipped in with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 assists.  Fellow classmate, Anasia Kambitsis also contributed with 9 points on four field goals including a three while also picking up a rebound, assist, and steal.

Vidisha Maharana led Woodbridge Magnet in a losing cause with a game high 17 points on 8 field goals and a made free throw.  Maharana accounted for over half of the Lady Hornets scoring in the contest.  Dhanashri Balamurugan chipped in with 7 points on 7 of 12 from the foul line.  Jasmine Wilk (4 points), Kiah Parekh (2 points), Disha Gang (2 points), and Nithya Suresh (1 point) rounded out Woodbridge Magnet’s scoring.

Janiya Mitchell (6 points, 5 steals, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists), Zaniya Smith (4 points, 6 rebounds, and a block), Ava Kohler (4 points, 5 steals, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists), and Alexis Valenta (4 points, 6 rebounds, an assist, a block, and a steal) rounded out Highland Park’s scoring on the night.  The Lady Owls had 7 different players score while the Lady Hornets had 6.

Highland Park, which outscored Woodbridge Magnet in each of the first three quarters to establish a 27 point lead, held a decisive advantage in points from inside the arc (48-24) while also enjoying a 3-0 edge in points from long distance.  The Lady Hornets fared better at the line with a 9-2 edge in points scored at the charity stripe.  Woodbridge Magnet was 41 percent from the line while Highland Park was just 29 percent.

As a team the Lady Owls collected 39 rebounds, 21 steals, 10 assists, and 2 blocks.  The Lady Hornets made the game more respectable with an 11-4 showing in the fourth.  Highland Park’s strong second quarter showing was highlighted by a couple steals for scores from Vanessa Kohler, a short jumper by younger sister, Ava Kohler, and then a score in the closing seconds of the half by Smith for the 22 point lead.

The third period showed Highland Park continuing to extend its lead as Valenta and Kambitsis scored while Vanessa Kohler took an inbounds bass near the left baseline, and knocked down a jumper with about 14 seconds left in the frame.  The reserves saw plenty of action in the final frame for the Lady Owls and Woodbridge Magnet took advantage with Maharana leading the way.

With the victory, Highland Park improves to 16-10 overall on the season while Woodbridge Magnet concludes its 2022-23 campaign at 9-15.  The Lady Owls advance to the Central Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals on Wednesday, where they will face 3rd seeded Dunellen at The Faber starting at  5:30 PM.  Highland Park played Dunellen a week ago, and won the game 44-29.

The Lady Destroyers have had quite a successful year with an 18-9 record overall including a 16-6 record in conference play, and a 15-1 mark for a share of the GMC Gold with Perth Amboy Magnet.  Dunellen lost to Amboy Magnet (35-28) in another GMC Girls basketball game covered by GMC Hoops on February 1st in Perth Amboy.