"I’m going to fail out on purpose and make sure that I come back next year," said the senior center.

Well, Quinnipiac University will not be happy with that. Mann is heading this fall to the Connecticut university to play basketball, but Mann’s quote shows how serious the state tournament that starts this week for them is.

The last two years Rutherford has made the state sectional finals only to go home unhappy.

And last season was probably the most difficult. The Lady Bulldogs led most of the way in the Group 2 North 2 state final at Vernon only to have Hanover Park take it away from them.

For both Mann and senior guard Veronica McGorry, the playoff run is especially important since they are the lone seniors on the club. "It hasn’t hit me yet, but I think when it is all over it will," said McGorry who will be playing soccer at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

And Mann added. "It’s going to be upsetting," said Mann about when the basketball season is over. "I love these girls and I am going to miss them. But you move on to another chapter."

Starting tonight, Rutherford hopes to win at least three games, with the Lady Bulldogs hosting the winner of ninth-seeded Summit-eighth-seeded Lincoln at home.

When it is all said and done in this year’s state sectional title, Rutherford could see the same Hanover Park team in the Group 2 North 2 state sectional on March 4 in the final. Hanover Park is the number two-seeded team.

Heading into the state tournament, Rutherford fans hope they sent them off on a high note on Senior Night where the Lady Bulldogs defeated Ridgefield Park easily, 48-23. Mann led Rutherford with 14 points.

The win over Ridgefield Park made it back-to-back BCSL American titles and back-to-back undefeated seasons of 18-0 as Rutherford had taken over the mantle from River Dell as the unbeatable force in the league. Rutherford will be going into the postseason with a 24-2 mark.

"It’s great having won all those games," said McGorry who had four points. "We know that we will not accept anything more than a state championship."

And Mann was happy for winning another league title, but that was not the target from the start of the season. "It’s good but it is not our main goal," said Mann. "It was our first goal, but the goal is winning a state championship."

But for every member of the team, the missing piece is something that they desperately want on March 4.

Against Ridgefield Park, the Lady Bulldogs started ahead from the start and never let the Lady Scarlets into the game. Mann hit a pair of free throws to give Rutherford a 20-5 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. Taylor Wootton connected on a three-point play to start the second half and Rutherford staked a 21-point lead, 32-11.