January
28, 2007
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NORTH ARLINGTON – Queen of Peace figured out last year how to pull an upset in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament behind the stellar play of guard Courtney Keegan, when, as the No. 23 seed, the Golden Griffins knocked of No. 10 Demarest. But what Q of P also figured out last year was that a total team effort is needed if it wanted to advance further in the tourney.
The question going into Saturday’s first round game against upstart Ramsey, the No. 26 seed, was how would the Golden Griffins react now that they have gone from being the hunter to being the hunted? The answer did not come immediately, but they finally found the answer when they needed it most.
Keegan continued to handle the scoring duties, but it was the production in other areas from role players Julie Candio-Sekel and Lindsey Len that proved to be the difference down the stretch. The Golden Griffins used an 11-3 run to end the third quarter, providing them from breathing room and they had another big run late to pull away to a 65-50 triumph.
“We knew Ramsey was going to be tough because we were in the same situation last year as they were today,” said Keegan. “Even when they got close, we were still confident. As long as we picked up the tempo and took care of the ball, we felt it was still our game to win. We got into a rhythm late in the third quarter and it carried us through the fourth quarter.”
Queen of Peace set the tone early with its full-court pressure and wasted little time in opening up a double-digit lead. Keegan and Brittany Turner were the beneficiaries offensively as they opened up a 15-point lead, 28-13, with three minutes to go in the second period. Ramsey refused to fold the tent and scored the final seven points of the half, five coming from Cara DiPiero to pull within eight at halftime.
“I give Ramsey tons of credit, they are well-coached and they refused to give up,” said Queen of Peace head coach Tommy Ferriero. “I thought we relaxed and they just kept coming at us. Even in the second half, they got on a roll and they showed they weren’t just happy to be here. We needed to play with the defensive intensity they played with. Fortunately, we did some nice things in our half-court sets and we got great play from Julie (Candio-Sekel) and Lindsey (Len). We needed to get some hustle plays to get us back on the right track.”
The halftime break did not slow down the Rams, who stayed hot from the field. The Rams hit six of their first seven shots to start the second half, including 4 of 4 from freshman Moriah Sweeny. A coast-to-coast lay-up by Alex Rosenberger pulled them to within one, 37-36. However, Keegan answered on the other end and sparked the run to put them back up eight going into the fourth quarter, 47-39. Sweeny kept her hot hand going by hitting a pair of 12-foot jumpers to start the fourth quarter, but the Rams never got any closer.
“We were right there for awhile, we just couldn’t get over that hump,” said Ramsey head coach Shannon McGarrigle, who finished her high school career as Ridgewood’s all-time leading scorer and still is. “If a couple of balls bounced our way and we made a couple of plays to take the lead, who knows what the outcome would have been. But they made big plays and big shots in the second half and we just couldn’t catch up. For us having such a young team, being here is a great experience. It’s something we look back upon and build on moving forward.”
Lindsey Len is not known for being a scorer, but she saw her opportunity in the fourth quarter and took full advantage of it. She hit consecutive baskets, her only two field goals of the game, to help push the lead back up to 10 and the Golden Griffins held on from there.
Keegan, the Golden Griffins’ all-time leading scorer with over 1,700 points in her career, led Queen of Peace (13-2) with 24 points. Turner added 19 points, while Candio-Sekel and Len combined for 18 rebounds, 15 points, and seven assists.
Sweeny netted her season-high with 25 points on 12 of 20 from the floor, along with eight rebounds and three steals for Ramsey (7-6). Despite struggling from the field, another freshman had a solid game in other aspects for the Rams. Sloan DiPiero chipped in with nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
The Golden Griffins advance to next week’s Round of 16, where they will face the winner of 10th seeded Fair Lawn and Dwight-Englewood, the No. 23 seed. They will look to advance to the quarters and make amends for a drubbing at the hands of last year’s eventual champion Ridgefield Park in the same round.
“We believe in ourselves and we’re all settling into our roles,” said Candio-Sekel. “I have more confidence in myself this year and I think we all have more trust in each other. Because we trust each other so much, we’re playing much better this year. We just want to keep the momentum going and we want to keep playing well.”
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