March
7, 2007
 |
 |
| Alyssa May scored 21 of her team's 38 points as River Dell repeated as North 1, Group 2 champions with a 38-36 win over top-seeded Pascack Hills on Tuesday at Passaic County Tech. | |
WAYNE – Sometime in the next week or so, the River Dell girls basketball season is going to come to an end. Whether the Hawks go out in their next game, which will be the Group 2 State semifinals on Thursday, or even if they go on to win the Tournament of Champions and ends it with a win, the curtain will soon come down on the brilliant high school career of Alyssa May.
But while there are still games to play, May continues to cement her legacy as one of Bergen County’s best ever basketball players. May topped the 1,000 point mark as a junior and went over 2,000 points earlier this season. River Dell had made five trips to the section final before May arrived, but it wasn’t until last year that the Hawks were able to win their first championship and she carried them all the way to the Group 2 State final.
Her latest accomplishment came on Tuesday afternoon in the North 1, Group 2 State sectional final against top-seeded Pascack Hills. She scored 21 of her team’s 38 points, made all four of her fourth quarter free throws, got the defenders assigned to her in foul trouble and did not turn the ball over in the final eight minutes despite doing much of the ball-handling.
 |
| Kerrie Mascarelli's putback with 2:24 to go in the third quarter gave Pascack Hills its only lead of the game at 24-22. |
With May leading the way, River Dell earned a 38-36 victory, its second straight State sectional title and a trip to Vernon where it will play North 2 champion Hanover Park in the State semifinals on Thursday.
“It just solidifies what I have been saying since Alyssa stepped into the building. The kid is a winner,” said River Dell head coach Lou Wejnert. “She put us in her suitcase, she put us on her back and she said let’s go and we’ll see how far I can take you.”
To get past Pascack Hills, River Dell had to grind it out. May hit a three-pointer with hands in her face to put her team up 22-16 at halftime, but Pascack Hills held the Hawks without a point for the first 6:30 of the third quarter. Kerrie Mascarelli’s putback basket with 2:24 to go in the third gave PH its only lead of the game at 24-22, but two baskets by May, one on a spin to the baseline and the other off a feed from Kristen Walters, put RD in front for good, 26-24, heading into the fourth.
“On that three pointer late in the first half we were right on her, we were right in her face and she still made it. I told my players that all you can do is say ‘nice shot’ and go down the other end,” said Pascack Hills head coach Debbie Brand. “[May] is versatile, she takes it to the basket and she can really do anything with the ball. She is a special player, a once in a lifetime player for a coach and she deserves every accolade she gets.”
 |
| Senior Kristen Barry's 7 points for River Dell, which took its second straight section title. |
A mini 5-0 run that put the Hawks in front 33-26 with 3:29 to play in the game gave River Dell control of the game and also forced Pascack Hills to deal with May all over the floor. Because May is the player that River Dell in-bounds the ball to and because she can take the ball up the floor against pressure all by herself, Pascack Hills was rarely able to force another player make crucial decisions down the stretch.
And even when it did, those other players stepped up. Jackie Osterlof made both ends of a one-and-one at the free throw line to put River Dell up 35-31 with 1:03 to play.
“We talk every game since the State tournament started that we need a hero. We need somebody to make a big play other than the kids we know are going to make them,” said Wejnert. “It was [Catherine] Cioffi last game, and tonight Osterlof made two free throws, nothing but net, and it took them out of a basket-and-tie situation.”
 |
| Aubrey LaRezza scored 10 points to tie for team-high honors for Pascack Hills. |
“It was really exciting, but I was really nervous because fouls shots aren’t really my thing,” said Osterlof, whose only two points of the game came in that crucial moment. “I guess I concentrated well enough to put them in the hoop. It didn’t hit me at first but then [Alyssa] came running at me and yelled, “Yeah, way to go!”
Pascack Hills got back to within one possession the next time down the floor on Teresa Kirkpatrick’s bucket off the offensive glass. That shot came with 50 seconds to go, but it took the next 31 seconds for the Cowgirls to find someone to foul.
The Cowgirls obviously did not want to put May on the line, but, in chase mode and with River Dell moving the ball crisply, PH eventually had to target May and she hit both free throws to stretch the lead back to 37-33 with 19 seconds left. Walters hit one of two after a Cowgirls missed shot and it was more than enough to make Michelle Feldman’s three-pointer at the buzzer little more than window dressing.
 |
| Jackie Osterlof made two key free throws late in the fourth quarter to help River Dell seal the win. |
Aubrey LaRezza, Feldman and Mascarelli all scored 10 points and Kirkpatrick finished with 6 as Pascack Hills maintained its balance right up until the end of its 22-5 season. River Dell was also true to form as senior Kristen Barry scored 7 points and no one else scored more than 4 as the Hawks leaned on May on the offensive end one more time.
“It was that same big game atmosphere and I always want to be up for the big game, especially because I don’t want my senior year to end,” said May. “If it was going to end, I wanted to go out with a bang so I made sure I played as hard as I could because that is all you can really ask for. The ball can bounce any way, but if you play hard, things will go your way.”
FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.
|
|
|
| About Us | Contact Us | Home |
Questions?
E-mail the editor editor@northjerseysports.com
All contents © copyright 2004-2007 HSSportsWeb.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
