Editor's Notebook: Lady Pioneers fall to St. John Vianney in Tournament of Champions

The girls' varsity basketball team was off to a rough start in the first half of the Group 1 state title game last Sunday. But the Lady Pioneers did what they do best, playing tenacious defense, scoring at critical junctures, and forging . This is the team's second straight NJSIAA Group 1 state title. Sophomore guard led the way for New Providence (24-5) by scoring 11 of her game-high 16 points after the break.

The Lady Pioneers traveled along a nearly identical path as last season and the re-occurrences continued Tuesday night as St. John Vianney stopped the Lady Pioneers’ campaign with . The Lady Lancers were responsible for ending the Lady Pioneers season last year in the same round at the same location.

The Lady Pioneers won 24 games this season and like last year, they bounced back from a by winning the and the Group 1 state championship, setting up a repeat showdown with St. John Vianney in the Tournament of Champions. But the Lady Lancers jumped out to a 13-0 lead to quickly smother any chance New Providence had to avenge last season’s crushing defeat.

Senior Forward , who will play Division 3 basketball at Muhlenberg College this fall, finished with 12 points. finished with six and will play Division 3 basketball at Connecticut College next year. And that wasn't all that we featured on New Providence Patch this week. Keep reading for the complete rundown:

On Monday, we featured our and columns, and featured an article about a where a New Providence resident won an award for his car’s design. We also brought you a game recap from the in the Group 1 state title game, and an article about the. In state news, we featured an article about an after receiving a complaint.

Tuesday, we brought you a story about William Parisio, a Rutgers student who was who was found in the basement of the Parisio family’s home. We also brought you our first , which recaps some of the major stories developing around Union County.

On Wednesday, we brought you a recap from Monday’s Borough Council meeting, where council members considered and further discussed the possibility of installing a new emergency generator that would power parts or all of the Municipal Center and the Rescue Squad. We also featured a game recap from the first round of the Tournament of Champions, where the for the second year in a row. We also brought you our daily, a daily video that takes a look at news going on around Union County.

Thursday, we featured the for March 4 – 14, which listed various acts of vandalism throughout the borough and are now under investigation by the NPPD. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we featured a cooking demo, showing you how to make . We also featured our daily video and our weekly Column, which features the properties that sold around the county throughout the last week.

On Friday, we featured the latest from MTV’s , which takes a look at how the stars are cashing in big on their 15 minutes of fame and this week’s new catchphrase. We also featured our daily video, where we featured the latest in the Cranford Homicide case. Parisio, who has been charged with the murder of his longtime girlfriend, pled “not guilty.” Last, but certainly not least, we featured our article on the movie "" again, written and directed by two NPHS graduates, as the movie open in limited theaters on Friday in New York City.

Saturday, we brought you the around the county this weekend and a full recap from on Friday before Superior Court Judge Joan Robinson Gross. Parisio pled “not guilty” and remains in Union County jail. We also featured an article about the funeral of Warren resident and Rutgers student .

A Look Ahead: Check Patch this week for a closer look at the movie "Win Win" and what moviegoers had to say about the film, which is set in a town called "New Providence."

— Thomas Harrigan contributed to this report.