GRHS girls' hoops advance in State tourney

Senior forward Kristen Cousins posted 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, and junior forward Ana Esposito added 10 points to lead the fifth-seeded Glen Ridge High School girls’ varsity basketball team to a 48-26 home win over 12th-seeded Technology in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association North Jersey Section 2, Group 1 tournament on March 1.
Senior center Andrea Fraser had eight points and senior forward Jordan Smith netted six points for the Ridgers, who improved to 16-7. The Ridgers were scheduled to visit No. 4 seed Dayton in the quarterfinals March 3. The semifinals are March 5 and the final is March 9.
Fraser scored 17 points and Cousins had 12 points to lead the Ridgers to a 47-42 home win over a good West Essex team on Feb. 24 in a Super Essex Conference-Liberty Division game.
The Ridgers built a 37-21 lead after the end of the third quarter before holding off West Essex, which fell to 19-6.
Smith also had 10 points for the Ridgers, who managed a split in the season series. GRHS lost to West Essex in the first meeting, 50-37, on Jan. 14 in North Caldwell.