January
29, 2007
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DEMAREST – Last year was supposed to be ‘the year’ for Ridgefield Park, and it turned out to be just that. The Scarlets used a senior-laden team to win both the Bergen County title and the North 2, Group 2 state sectional championship.
But RP was supposed to fall back to earth this year as it returned just two starters and came into this year’s Bergen County Tournament with the title as defending chmap, but also with lowly No. 12 seed. To make another run, the Scarlets would have to get past a Pascack Valley team that has county title on its agenda every year.
Locked in a tight game late in the fourth quarter, the outcome came down how to Scarlets’ backcourt of Amber Doran and Melissa Sinclair could handl Pascack Valley’s pressure defense and how they shot free throws with the game on the line.
The duo came through in the clutch as they combined to commit just one turnover in the fourth quarter. Just as importantly, they each hit both ends of a one-and-ones in the final minute as Ridgefield Park pulled the upset of the fifth-seeded Indians, 43-40.
“To earn respect, you have to win big games,” said Doran, a three-sport star (volleyball, softball) for the Scarlets. “I thought we got a lot of respect last year, but I don’t think we got much coming into this tournament. Either way, you have to go out and play the games. We knew how tough PV was going to be, we just had to stay calm. We saw this as our chance to show people that even though we lost a lot of seniors, we’re still a good team.”
Pascack Valley got contributions from all of its players in the first quarter offensively, especially Kerin Roche, who scored all six of her points in the opening stanza. But the Scarlets were able to keep pace thanks to the play of Sinclair, who kept the Scarlets within striking distance by hitting a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to cut the lead to 17-15.
Ridgefield Park got after it defensively in the second quarter, and pulled its way into the lead at halftime on sheer hustle. They forced six second-quarter turnovers and a jumper by Sinclair lifted them to a 27-24 lead at the break.
As the second half began, it was evident that every possession counted. Unfortunately, most of those possessions did not lead to baskets. Partially due to stingy defense by both teams, partially due to neither team being able to establish an offensive rhythm.
The lead changed hands several times throughout the second half and it went down right to the final two minutes. The Scarlets were clinging to a one-point lead, but the Indians had a pair of chances to take the lead back in the final 90 seconds. But after a missed shot and a turnover, the Indians were forced to foul Sinclair and take their chances by making her go to the charity stripe for a pressure packed free-throw.
“I was definitely nervous before taking that foul shot,” said Sinclair, on the front end of the one-and-one. “I just go back to a game we always play at practice. We always imagine a situation where you’re either up a point or down a point at the end of the game and you have to make foul shots to win it. I practiced hard to be in this situation so I was ready, but I was still really nervous.”
Sinclair nailed both free throws to put Ridgefield Park up 41-38 with 36 seconds to go. The Indians cut the lead down to one, but were forced to foul once again. This time, it was Doran who went to the line in the same situation Sinclair did 18 seconds earlier.
Doran matched her backcourt mate by nailing both free throws, which forced the Indians to try a desperation three-pointer that fell short and the Scarlets held on for the ‘W’.
“They did a good job defensively and we were sloppy, which is a bad combination for us,” said Pascack Valley head coach Jeff Jasper.
Sinclair scored a career-high 16 points for Ridgefield Park. Doran added 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Sara Ely was the lone Indian player to reach double-figures with 13 points, including 7-8 from the free-throw line. Sisters Maggie and Terry Ely each added eight points.
With the win, Ridgefield Park moved onto the quarterfinals where they will face Ramapo in a strange match-up. It is a rematch of last year’s final; but it is also a meeting between the two lowest remaining seeds in the tournament.
“We want Ramapo because of the game we had last year with them, but we just want to keep playing no matter who we play,” added Doran. “We have to cut down on our turnovers and there are some things we need to work on. But we kept battling and we were able to pull this one out. Last year was definitely our year, hopefully this one is too.”
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