Lyndhurst, NJ- Notes and observations from the final night of the Lyndhurst Summer League…

Once again Rutherford was impressive. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Nutley and Montclair. And they did it with their signature defense.

They led Nutley by one with six minutes remaining in the game. From that point the Red Raiders were held to a single point as Rutherford posted a 30-19 victory.

Against Montclair, Ed Guy’s club held a 21-13 lead at interim mission. The final twenty minutes Montclair was limited to seven points as Rutherford went on to a 34-20 win.

Rutherford was able to get out and run off forced turnovers. Still, Guy looks for offensive improvement noting, "we were sloppy on offense but our defense, our strong point, was excellent."

Montclair had a good post player, about 6’2", skilled enough to bring the ball up the floor on occasion. Rutherford countered by playing her straight up down low with weakside help coming over on a catch.

In numbers: Montclair had 24 second half possessions. Their seven points yielded a .29 offensive efficiency. That’s great D!

Becton rang up 70 points in a 70-25 win over Cliffside Park. Coach Mike Ryan’s club was hitting, especially from downtown, on all cylinders. "We were without two guards that could help our defense," Ryan said. "But we had two guards who really helped us offensively." Becton raced out to a 34-15 halftime lead and never looked back.

Becton’s top scorer from last year Katie Reiner had another solid night. The perimeter threat, as noted previously, is working on developing her inside game. "I told Katie, teams double teamed her a lot last year and she will be double teamed all this year," Ryan said. "Having an all around game makes her a bigger threat." The junior guard is doing just that with favorable results.

Parents and coaches were outstanding during the course of the league. Not a complaint I am aware of and both groups let the officials work without criticism and parents didn’t engage in ‘sideline coaching’. A great scenario that made the league all the more enjoyable.

Bloomfield continued their winning ways edging Hackensack. On several occasions, the Bengals showed the ability to battle back from a halftime deficit, imposing their will in the final twenty minutes to earn the victory.

As noted previously, having teams from Bergen and Essex Counties, allows teams to face opponents they are familiar with and others they rarely line up against.

Never one in favor of specialization- a high school or younger athlete concentrating on only one sport year round. Nice to hear the coaches agree on playing other sports keeps their kids sharp and in the long run makes them perform better on the court.

The league that ran from early June through mid July concluded with no playoffs.