They are rivals, and every basketball game between Marlboro and Highland, whether its boys or girls, can be a tense, tough affair. And then Highland’s girls’ team hosted Marlboro Friday, defense played a big role in the Huskies’ 41-33 victory.

Monasia Bolduc fouls Nicole DeSantis in the first quarter.

Jess Dutka would lead Highland with 10 points in the game, scoring nine of those in the first half to help the Huskies lead 23-13 at the half.

Highland’s defense swarmed Marlboro, forcing one turnover after another or taking advantage of mistakes made by the Dukes.

“Our defense was outstanding for about two and half quarters,” said Jim Delmar, Highland’s coach.

Highland’s defense really played well deep into the third quarter before Erin Cunningham finally put Marlboro on the board with a three-pointer with 1:40 left in the period.
Highland led 33-18 at the end of the third quarter before Marlboro picked up it. Fifteen seconds after Cunningham dropped that three-point shot in the third, Emily McDonough, her teammate, fouled out.

That hurt Marlboro’s chances in the fourth, but Cunningham, who led the Dukes with 14 points, scored six points in the fourth on a pair of field goals, while going 2/4 from the foul line. Christina Nigro scored all five of her points in the fourth for Marlboro on a field goal and three-pointer.

“They played very good offense for a quarter and half in the second half. They were pretty tough, and their defense picked up,” said Delmar. “We didn’t take care of the ball as well as we should have, but give Marlboro credit for taking us out of our offense.”

Jen Porter, who scored four points for Highland, was part of the team’s defensive swarm.

“It was very tough. I knew they would come in with intensity, I had to stop them, and didn’t want them to win,” she said.

Monasia Bolduc got into foul trouble early for Highland before Delmar sat her down in the first half. She finished the game with nine points on four field goals in the second half.
Marlboro’s push in the end did little, though, to make up for the mistakes throughout most of the game.

“Turnovers have been a problem for us lately in the last four or five games.  We have not taken care of the ball very well at all, and tonight was no exception to that,” said Scott DeGeorge, Marlboro’s coach. “We said at half time we had to take care of that. So we come out at half time and have three immediate turnovers. There’s no answer to that.”

By Bond Brungard
sports@tcnewspapers.com