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The Kinnelon Colts advanced in the opening round of the Morris County girls' basketball tournament with a win over Parsippany Hills. The Colts were hot out of the gates and had their best start to any game so far this season en route to the 40-31 victory.
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Led by Andrea Dunchus and Megan Hartline, the 13th-seeded Colts were able to quickly take a ten-point lead. They created second shot opportunities by following their shot and pulling down offensive rebounds. All seemed to go according to plan as the first quarter ended with the Colts leading 14-3.
The 20th-seeded Vikings wanted to make a game of it and began to climb back. Parsippany Hills started the second period playing much better defense, holding the Colts to only four points in the period. At the other end, the Vikings' shots began to drop as they went on a 7-0 run late in the second quarter to take the momentum with them to the looker rooms.
The Colts started the third quarter with 4 quick points to build their lead back up to ten at 22-12. Once again the Vikings had the answer with a 7-1 run, and the visitors trailed by only five to start the final period. But the Colts began to press and their aggressive defense finally sunk the Vikings. Once again the Colts built a double digit lead and with clutch free throws they iced the game.
Despite the disparity in seeds, this game proved to be a tough test for Kinnelon. Coach Stephanie Finke said, “The seedings really don’t mean anything since all these teams play in different divisions." She also noted that the Colts had to play without one of their top scorers, senior Taylor Prall, due to illness.
The team has hopes for a deep run in this tournament. The Colts will have their next test Saturday and should have a full squad ready when they meet league foe and #4 seed in the tournament, Whippany Park. -- Emir Liguori
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