February
12, 2007
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| Ramapo's Lindsay Ianna netted seven of her 15 points in the fourth quarter as Ramapo shut out Ridgefield Park over the final eight minutes and to pull off a 32-29 triumph. | |
EAST RUTHERFORD – The disappointment of falling one game short of winning a county championship is something the Ramapo players have had to deal with for close to a year now. After losing to Ridgefield Park in last year’s county final, all the Green Raiders wanted was another chance. That opportunity came on Sunday in the Bergen County quarterfinals, but it seemed like it was going to be a wasted effort when the Green Raiders were down by double-digits heading into the fourth quarter.
With its back against the wall, Ramapo came out to start the fourth quarter with a sense of urgency. Backed by the play of Elissa Klie and Lindsay Ianna, they not only got their team back in the game, they lifted them to victory.
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| Amber Doran finished with 14 points for Ridgefield Park. |
Klie hit a jumper and blocked a big shot in the final two minutes. Ianna netted seven of her 15 points in the fourth quarter when Ramapo, seeded No. 13, shutout the Scarlets, the No. 12 seed, over the final eight minutes and came back from 10 points down to pull off a 32-29 triumph.
“We were pretty much dead in the water, but we found a way to get out of it,” said Ramapo head coach Steve Silver. “Ridgefield Park deserves a lot of credit because they were able to do whatever they wanted to for most of the first three quarters. Down 10 points, it was a gutcheck time for our team. Our bread and butter is our defense and they stepped up at the most crucial time of the game.”
Both teams came into the game fired up to get another shot at the other. However, that did not lead to many offensive opportunities for either squad. Ramapo closed to within 8-7 on a three-point play from Ianna, but Ridgefield Park’s Amber Doran answered with consecutive three-pointers to give the Scarlets a 14-7 halftime lead.
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| Ana Drehwing made four key free throws during Ramapo's fourth quarter comeback. |
The offensive picked up in the second half with the Green Raiders closing to within two points early in the third period. Once again, it was Doran who provided the spark from beyond the three-point arc. She nailed another triple to stretch the lead up to 10 points, 29-19, with just eight minutes left to play. Ramapo now had to force the pace of the game, which on paper seemed to be a disadvantage for a team with a motion offense that is not designed to score points in a hurry.
“I think we play better when we have nothing to lose,” said Klie. “We play more loose and we’re not worried about making any mistakes. We were down 10 points, so we had to pick up our intensity on both ends. There was still time left and we were still in the game, so all we could was keep playing and hope that we could get on a roll.”
The Green Raiders switched to a 1-2-1-1 full-court press, which proved to be a nightmare for the Scarlets. Led by the stern defense of Samantha Depken, Kaitlin Taranto, and Klie, the Green Raiders took less than 90 seconds to get back in the game. Ianna’s three-pointer cut the lead to four, 29-25, with 6:32 remaining.
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| Danielle McArow and Ridgefield Park held a 29-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter. |
They got to within one on a Klie jumper and took the lead, 30-29, on a drive to the basket by Ianna with just under two minutes to play. The Scarlets had three chances to take the lead back, but were unable to connect on any of those chances. After turning the ball over, Doran was called for a questionable charging call. After getting a stop on the defensive end, the Scarlets missed a jumper and Klie blocked a putback attempt.
Klie secured the rebound and Ramapo ran off 40 seconds before Ianna was fouled with 35 seconds left. She hit both free throws to make it a three-point game. The Scarlets could only get a last-ditch effort from Doran. Her 25-footer at the buzzer went off the iron and fell to the ground, sparking a huge celebration from the Green Raiders and left the Scarlets in disbelief.
“I honestly don’t know what just happened out there,” said Doran, a three-sport star for the Scarlets. “We had them right where we wanted them. The fourth quarter went by so fast, and before we knew it they were celebrating. I give them credit that they never stopped working even when we had them down by 10. This loss hurts, especially for us seniors. All this can do is motivate us for the state tournament, but right now it really hurts.”
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| Ramapo's Elissa Klie finished with nine points, six rebounds, and two blocks, both of which came in the fourth quarter. |
Ianna’s 15 points were a game-high for Ramapo, which will face eighth-seeded IHA in next week’s Bergen County semifinals. Klie added nine points, six rebounds, and two blocks, both of which came in the fourth quarter. Ana Drehwing also made four straight free throws in the fourth quarter to aid the comeback.
Ridgefield Park was once again led by its backcourt of Doran and Melissa Sinclair. Doran finished with 14 points, while Sinclair added nine.
“I love (the Bergen County) tournament, because you never know what to expect,” said Ianna. “We were in big trouble, but we kept playing and fought out way out of it. We just kept fighting until we could get back in the game. To comeback to win from 10 points down, especially against Ridgefield Park, is an amazing feeling.”
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