Bridgewater-Raritan High School senior Emily Leppert scored her first points when it mattered the most on Thursday night, December 19.
Even though North Hunterdon Regional High School kept her off the scoreboard for almost all 32 minutes of regulation, in the highest pressure situation a basketball player can face, Leppert still managed to deliver the knockout punch.
After Shealy Piro (12 points, eight rebounds) produced her final basket for North Hunterdon (0-2, 0-2) that delivered a one-point lead for the visiting team midway through the final minute of regulation, Leppert (two points, four rebounds, three blocks) responded with the go-ahead, game-winning jumper for Bridgewater- Raritan (1-1, 1-1) with 14.2 seconds remaining.
One defensive stand later, the Panthers officially held on for a 29-27 victory in their Skyland Conference Valley Division matchup at Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium in Bridgewater.
“I’m just very happy that shot went in,” said Bridgewater-Raritan third-year head coach Xavier Brooks about Leppert’s clutch bucket, which led to the Panthers’ first win of the 2024-25 season. “She had a very off night in regards to shooting and didn’t score prior to that, but she just kept shooting and hit the biggest shot.”
“We made sure to keep the intensity up and to guard the people that we knew could make their shots, or drive to the basket, in order to stop them,” reflected Leppert. “That’s what we needed to win the game overall.”
With the Panthers up 28-27 courtesy of Leppert’s heroics, Erin Brocklehurst made the first of her two free throws to round out the night’s scoring after being fouled with 5.8 seconds to go.