The basketball regular season is over and it’s time for the State Tournament to get started.
For the boys’ basketball team, they finished the regular season 22-2 with a share of the Big North Patriot League Title. Their only losses came against Ramsey and St. Joe’s. They lost to at Ramsey by one in overtime, which helped get Ramsey the No. 1 seed in the bracket. Hills’ other loss came in the semifinals of the Bergen County Jamboree versus eventual champion, St. Joseph’s of Montvale. The Cowboys are the No. 2 seed in the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 state tournament and will face No. 15 seed Dumont in the first round on March 1.
The Cowboys’ Nick Guillemain had a tremendous regular season. He finished 10th in North Jersey in Field Goals made with 162 and finished 9th in Free Throws made with 102. He also scored a career-high 40 points vs Passaic Tech. Guilly was also named to the Jambo All-tournament team.
The Cowboys’ Evan Schumer had a magical season. After missing the first couple games due to an ankle injury, Schumer was coming off the bench for Hills. Once he got his legs back under him, he was plugged into the starting lineup and dominated. He played his usual game, which is driving to the lane and hitting plenty of threes. He also hit a game-winning three vs NV/Old Tappan in the second round of the Jambo, was named North Jersey Sports’ Athlete of the Week, and was also named to the Jambo All-tournament team.
The boys’ team is favored to win their Group’s State Tournament. They won 15 of their last 16 games and are ready to prove they are the best team in the bracket. Their threats to win it all is top seeded Ramsey, 3rd seeded Manchester and 4th seeded Newton. Expect Hills to make it all the way to the finals, if they can continue their team play. Their depth is a key to their success with players like Michael Murphy, Stevie Steiger and Brandon Danziger coming off the bench. The game management by PG Evan Lazarus brings Hills’ to another level and is a big reason why they are the favorites in the tournament.
The girls’ basketball team finished 11-11 in the regular season and freshman Center Erin Hedrick won Athlete of the Week. The Cowgirls are the 12th seed in their NJSIAA North 1, Group 2 State Tournament and will face 5th seeded Pequannock in the first round on March 1.
For the Cowgirls, Catie Ernest was banged up for some of the season, but she still hit more than 30 threes on the season. Erin Hedrick, who won Athlete of the Week, recorded a triple double in a win versus Tenafly.
The girls are in a tough spot, having to play Pequannock in the first round. Pequannock finished the regular season 17-4 and look capable of making a finals run. The Cowgirls will have to battle if they want to upset the 5th seed. A good regular season may not lead to a good tournament run though.
Good luck to both teams!
