When the season began hopes were very bright for the Point Pleasant Boro Girls basketball team. With four starters back from a team that went 25-5 the year before, including highly regarded junior Kelly Hughes, the sky seemed to be the limit for the Panthers. However Boro stumbled at the start, losing to Jackson in the semifinals of the WOBM Christmas Classic and then falling to Rumson in the consolation game the following day. Then came a loss to Class C Central rival Manasquan less than a week later and all of a sudden a 4-3 record left many doubting that any championships would be coming to coach Dave Drew’s squad.

The Panthers won most of their games after that but after another loss to Manasquan their division title hopes were gone and then they were bounced from the Shore Conference Tournament by eventual champion St. Rose.

Boro had one chance left to collect some championship hardware when the NJSIAA Tournament started on February 28th and to say they have made the most of that opportunity would be an understatement. Finally getting away from the powerhouse teams at the shore, the Panthers dispatched Middlesex by 45 points and then avenged an earlier loss to Rumson by an impressive 18 point margin. That sent them into the sectional semifinals on the road at #1 seed Governor Livingston but Boro was up to the task and won by 17 points to advance to the Central Jersey Group 2 Final at Summit this past Monday.

By now the Hughes sisters Kelly and Lauren along with Kerry Malleck and Jessica Macchi were clicking on all cylinders and the result was a convincing 81-50 victory and a championship trophy. But Point Boro was not finished and last night they beat South Jersey champion Middle Township 54-38 behind 19 points from Kelly Hughes and 15 from Malleck. That sends the Panthers into the State Group 2 final against either Shabazz or Pequannock on Sunday at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River…the same place where they had that disappointing performance in the WOBM Classic back in late December. That certainly seems like a long time ago and the Boro is hoping the tears they shed this Sunday are ones of joy, not sorrow.

Ironically Sunday will also find the Jackson Memorial girls playing at the Pine Belt Arena as they’ll face North Hunterdon in the Group 4 Finals. I’ll have more on what should be a great weekend of basketball tomorrow morning.

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