Forest Hills High School Girls Basketball Falls To Hillcrest, 57-54

Hillcrest High School girls basketball coach Matthew Strong chewed vigorously at his words. He wore a half-smile, with spittle at both ends of his mouth, and a vaguely dreamy expression.

"It's the same thing every time," said Strong.

Strong spoke of Hillcrest's 57-54 win over Forest Hills Tuesday. In a rivalry strewn with improbable endings and fierce physical tussles, Tuesday's chapter was an especially wild one. 

Facing a Hillcrest (1-0 Queens A East) team with superior size and strength, Forest Hills (1-1 Queens A East) used its aggressive defense and bold guard play to carve out a 47-39 lead with 4:48 to play. 

Sharon Rios (17 points) was hitting from the outside while guards Imani Frances and Jodi Humphrey controlled the tempo. Then the Hillcrest tandem of Danielle Pearce and Ruth Paul took over.

Pearce bulled her way to a basket plus a foul. She then recovered her own miss from the foul line for another bucket.

Paul, who dominated the glass all game, tied the game at 50-50 with a putback with 2:27. Pearce's steal on the next possession started a fast break that gave the Hawks a 52-50 lead, and they didn't look back.

Hero: Pearce and Paul combined to push Hillcrest to the win. Pearce (17 points) battered the Rangers defense with her bruising drives. A big, physical guard/forward, she was nearly impossible to keep out of lane and made some tough shots. Paul's relentless rebounding produced a bunch of timely baskets in the fourth quarter and put her team over the top.

Turning Point: Strong switched to a man-to-man defense at the beginning of the third quarter, a move that he believed slowed Forest Hills. Forest Hills used its pressure defense to create turnovers and points throughout the third quarter and into the early fourth. The Hawks were shaken by these runs but remained composed. Hillcrest's ability to control the glass and to get critical defensive stops within the last two minutes made the difference.

Quotable: "They wouldn't let us do what we wanted to do. It's the idea behind defense." -Hillcrest coach Matthew Strong on Forest Hills' defense  

Key Stat: Paul, whom Strong believed made the difference with her spirited second half effort, scored 14 of her 17 points after halftime.

Next Up: Forest Hills plays at The Queens High School of Teaching on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m.