High School

The Eagles of Eastern Christian overcame a third-quarter deficit of 16 points to defeat the Lady Cougars of Paterson Catholic, 40-38. Eastern Christian junior star Brianne Traub led all scorers with 21 points.

Playing for the fourth time this season, this time in the Non-Public B North Semi-Finals, Paterson Catholic relied on a balanced, and steady, offensive attack in the first half to take 27-15 halftime lead. Four different players had at least 7 points for PC in the first half, with senior Brianna Cook leading the way with 13 points. Eastern Christian, heavily reliant on Brianne Traub, was able to keep the game from getting too far away heading into the break, with Traub scoring 7 points.

In the third quarter, PC took advantage of a quick start to take 32-16 lead. With the need to respond evident, Eastern Christian became more aggressive on the offensive end, attacking the basket off the dribble to outscore PC 12-9 in the quarter to head into the fourth quarter down by only 9 points.

In the final period, the Eastern Christian defense stifled the Lady Cougars, as PC would manage only 2 points. Eastern Christian kept the comeback steady, with senior Kelsey Spoelstra scoring 5 consecutive points to tie the game (a three-pointer from the top of the key; a two-pointer from the baseline), energizing the EC supporters in the stands. Brianne Traub scored a driving lay-up in the full court with her left hand to give EC a 40-38 lead at the 1:02 mark. Stingy defense and repeated missed shots by PC in the final minute led to the final buzzer, setting off a celebration by the Eagles on the Paterson Catholic court.

Eastern Christian now advances to the Non-Public B North Finals vs. Gill St. Bernard on Wednesday.